IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


/. 


^ 


V 


^ 


t<>/ 


^^ 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


m  __ 

a 50    — 

.?  IIIIM 
■'  IM 


M   llll|y 
2.0 


1.4 


1.8 


1.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


4 


,v 


^•^ 


iS^ 


i\ 


^^ 


\\ 


6^ 


<^ 


A 


-b 


V-^- 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


i. 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


1'he  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 

D 
D 
D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagie 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  peliicul6e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I   Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 

I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relit  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  cortaines  pages  blanches  ajouttes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  Att  film6es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exenplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mtthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  incfiqu6s  ci-dessous. 

□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicuides 

I — I    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


D 


Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  intgale  de  I'lmpression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


I      I  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

r~n  Only  edition  available/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmtes  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  it 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqut  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

aox 

1 

7 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  hes  Sseen  reproriuced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gAn6ro8itA  de: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  At6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film^s  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning   "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  —^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  &  des  taux  de  rMurtion  diff^renta. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmd  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

K 


GU 


AU' 


JOSKI'H    I.AinK 

FOUNDKK    Ol     DAWSON   CITV 


'KLONDYKE  FACTS 


BEING  A  COMPLETE 


^^^GUIDE  BOOK  TO  THE  GOLD  REGIONS 


.03 


OF   THE  GREAT 


CANADIAN  NORTHWEST  TERRITORIES 

AND 

ALASKA 


tiY  JOSEPH    LADUE 

j^      AUTHOR  OF  "  KLONDVKE  NUGGETS,"  AND  FOUNDER  OF  DAWSON  aTY,  N.W.T, 


NEW    YORK  ' 

AMERICAN  TECHNICAL  BOOK  CO., 
45  Vksky  Street. 


Copyright,  1S97, 
By  AMERICAN  TECHNICAL  BOOK  CO. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


No  extracts  can  be  nude  without  the  permission  of  the  Publisher* 


Awfvv^qr 


^hb 

^ 


MAP  OF  ALASKA,  HRmSff  COfjrAf/irA  AND  THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORIES  . 


ST  TERRITORIES  SHOWINC  THE  ENTIRE  YUKON  RIl'ER  ANP  ETS  TR [lU'TARFES 


% 


TiiK  intoi! 
eries  of  gul( 
makes   it    n 
region  slioiil 
It  is  with 
the  pioneer 
W.  'I\,  tlic( 
of  this  viihiii 
There  is  }) 
Alaska  ami 
He  lias  just 
Schuyler  Fn 
his  boyhood 
nearly  twen 
goini:^  first  t 
gold  mining 
finally  locat 
where  he  h 
pioneer,  stn 
must  needs 
come  out  w: 
the  ago  of 
worked  his 
result  of  ar 
evidently  al 
of  that  stni 
suddenly  h 
human  intc 


.■ 


-m 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE. 


The  intense  excitement  ciiuscd  by  the  marvellous  discov- 
eries of  gold  iu  Alaska  and  the  great  Canadian  Northwest 
makes  it  necessary  that  authentic  facts  regarding  this 
region  should  he  sup})licd  to  the  reading  public. 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  introduce  Mr.  Joseph  Laduo, 
the  pioneer  prospector  and  founder  of  Dawson  City,  X. 
W.  'I'.,  the  central  point  of  the  gold  region,  as  the  author 
of  this  valuable  work  of  reliable  information. 

There  is  probably  no  man  living  who  is  better  posted  on 
Alaska  and  the  great  Northwest  than  Mr.  Josejdi  Ladue. 
He  has  just  returned  from  that  country  to  his  old  home  in 
Schuyler  Falls,  X.  Y.,  where  he  ])assed  a  large  jjortion  of 
his  boyhood  and  early  manhood.  Mr.  Ladue  left  his  home 
nearly  twenty  years  ago  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  AVest, 
going  first  to  the  lilack  Hills,  v.here  he  was  successful  in 
gold  mining,  thence  to  Arizona  and  the  Pacific  Coast,  and 
finally  located  in  Alaska  and  the  Northwest  Territories, 
where  he  has  been  since  1881).  ^\v.  Ladue  is  a  typical 
pioneer,  strong,  hardy  aiul  resolute,  a  man  of  iron,  as  one 
must  needs  be  to  go  through  the  hardships  ho  has  and 
conu!  out  with  a  constitution  unbroken  and  unimpaired  at 
the  age  of  about  forty-three.  Mr.  Ladue  has  not  oidy 
worked  his  muscles  to  good  advantage  to  himself  with  the 
result  of  an  abundance  of  this  world's  goods,  but  he  has 
evidently  all  this  tinu^been  closely  observing  the  conditions 
of  that  strange  countrv,  the  Yukon  \'allev.  which  basso 
suddenly  become  one  of  the  great  centres  upon  which 
hunum  interest  throughout  the  world  is  foeussed. 


zi&m 


4  PUBLISH  hum  SOTK. 

WluMi  tho  wondcM-fiil  stories  hoguii  lo  come  down  from 
the  Yukon  country  it  Wiis  naturally  (concluded  that  it  was 
at  least  half  exag^-'-ration.  That  any  such  amount  of  ffold 
could  betaken  in  so  short  a  I'nu'  from  u  country  like 
that  under  the  most  unfavorunlo  conditions  was  held  to  he 
ini-rodible.  But  when  the  great  hags  of  virgin  gold  began 
to  be  })oure(i  out  upon  the  mint  counters  in  San  Francisco 
under  the  e\"s  of  the  whole  world  (for  modern  journaiitjm 
docs  this  annihilating  of  time  and  s})ace)  jjcoplr  jcgan  to 
■wonder,  and  ihe  wonder  grew  day  by  day  as  tlie  real  facts 
were  disclosed  ;  and  now  i)eo})le  who  are  well  informed  as  to 
the  facts  declare  that  half  the  truth  has  not  been  told  of 
the  golden  treasures  of  the  Yukon  \'allcy. 

As  we  have  already  said,  there  ispritbably  no  nnni  to-day 
alive  wdio  knows  more  about  this  wonderful  country  than 
docs  Mr.  Ladue.  What  nuikes  hii  talk  of  it  specially 
interesting  and  reliable  is  the  fact  that  his  knowledge  of 
it  is  practical.  It  has  not  been  gained  from  hearsay  nor 
from  desultory  visits  made  now  and  then  at  certain  favorable 
seasons  of  the  year,  but  from  steady  living  there  throngli 
the  long  summer  days  and  the  hmg  winter  nights,  year  in 
and  year  out,  for  fifteen  years,  where  he  now  owns  thirteen 
of  the  best  mining  claims  on  the  Klondykc  and  173  acres 
of  land  at  J)awson  City. 

In  presenting  this  work  to  the  public  wc  do  so  knowing 
that  it  is  by  an  authority  on  the  subject  of  wliich  he 
writes. 


Til 


•nJLISIIEUS 


Thron-Diuck  River  and 
affluents 

SCALI        H   MiLIt   TO   AN    In^lg . 


'':;:^1tf:^i    TUTS  MAT  8H(>\Vb   THK   fcTItEAM   ON    WJIIill    THE   I'l.AC  EU  CLAIMS   Mit.   l.OCATtD 


I 


•1 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  p^Qj. 

Publishers'  Note 3 

Introduction 7 

I.  Historical  and  Geograpliical 9 

II.  Routes,  Distances  and  Transportation 21 

III.  Advices  to  Beginners 86 

IV.  Outfit  for  Miners 89 

V.  How  to  stake  out  a  Mining  Claim 93 

VI.  Placer  Mining 95 

VII.  Mining  Law  and  Order 101 

VIII.  Mining  Returns IO7 

IX.  Game,  Agriculture  and  Timber no 

X.  Mortality  and  Climate 120 

XI.  Cost  of  Living  and  Wages  Paid. 125 

XII,  Miners'  Luck , 107 

XIII.  Klondyke  Facts 150 

Appendix, 
Excerpts  from  the  Mining  Laws  of  the  Canadian  Northwest 
Territory 191 


INTRODUCTION. 


Much  has  appeared  in  the  newspapers  of  the  world  re- 
garding the  newly  discovered  gold-fields  of  Alaska  and 
the  great  Canadian  Northwest. 

To  one  who  has  prospected  and  lived  in  these  territories 
for  the  past  fifteen  years,  it  is  deplorable  that  so  much  un- 
reliable information  has  appeared. 

My  object  is  not  to  induce  any  one  to  go  to  that  remote 
country  at  the  pre-  ont  time ;  until  better  means  of  com- 
munication are  established,  a  man  undertakes  serious  risks 
in  going  there  unless  he  has  sufficient  resources  to  tide 
over  the  long  winter.  After  September,  egress  from  the 
country  is  practically  impossible  until  the  following  June, 
and  a  person  who  has  not  been  successful  in  locating  a  pay- 
ing claim  has  to  depend  for  his  subsistence  upon  finding 
employment.  Wages  are  at  times  abnormally  high,  but 
the  labor  market  is  very  narrow  and  easily  overstocked. 
It  is  estimated  that  up  to  the  middle  of  May  1,500  to  1,G00 
people  had  crossed  the  Taiya  Pass  this  year.  Whether  em- 
ployment will  be  available  for  all  and  for  the  considerable 
population  already  in  the  district  is  somewhat  doubtful  ; 
it  will  therefore  l)o  wise  for  those  who  contemplate  going 
to  the  Yukon  District  to  give  serious  consideration  to  the 
matter  before  coming  to  a  decision. 

Having  recently  returned  for  a  short  time  to  my  old 
home  I  find  myself  deluged  with  letters  from  all  classes 
of  men  eagerly  seeking  facts  relative  to  the  new  gold  region. 
As  it  is  impossible  to  reply  to  all  these  letters  in  a  manner 


8 


INTRODUCTION. 


that  would  be  adequate  and  complete,  I  have  decided  to 
publish  some  of  my  observations  and  experiences  in  the 
land  that  is  yet  comparatively  unexplored.  I  will  give  the 
actual  facts  and  such  information  as  I  think  will  be  valu- 
able to  the  intending  prospectors  of  the  new  gold  regions. 


JOSEPH  LADUE. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


HISTOETCAL   AND  GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The  discovery  of  the  great  Yukon  River  and  the  territory 
drained  by  it  is  due  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  the 
adventurous  officers  who  directed  its  interests  in  British 
North  America.  Indeed,  the  discovery  of  the  Yukon  it- 
self is  due  to  Robert  Campbell,  an  employe  of  the  company, 
who  named  it  the  Pelley  River  in  honor  of  Sir  H.  Pelley, 
a  governor  of  the  company. 

In  18G7  Frank  E.  Ketchum,  of  St.  John,  N.  B.,  and 
Michael  Labarge  of  Montreal,  explorers  in  the  employ  of 
ihe  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  ascended  the  Yu- 
kon from  Fort  Yukon  to  the  moutli  of  the  Lewes,  return- 
ing down  the  river,  and  hi  the  same  year  Michael  Byrnes,  in 
the  same  employ,  made  a  trip  from  the  direction  of  the 
Stikine  and  reached  the  Ilootolinqua,  not  the  river  subse- 
quently so  called  by  the  miners,  but  that  on  the  survey  map 
of  Canada. 

Mr.  Whymper  in  1809,  in  liis  work.  ''Travels  in 
Alaska  and  on  the  Yukon,"  makes  the  first  distinct  men- 
tion in  print  of  the  discovery  of  gold.  The  report  of 
Campbell  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Com])any  directors  was  made 
orally.     Mr.  AVhymper  in  his  book  says  :     ''It  is  worthy 


i 


10 


KLONLYKE  FACTS. 


of  mention  that  minute  specks  of  gold  have  been  found  by 
some  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  men  in  tlie  Yukon, 
but  not  in  quantities  to  warrant  a  **rush  "  to  the  locality." 

George  Holt,  who  afterward  was  murdered  by  Indians 
at  Cook's  Inlet,  was  the  first  white  man  wlio  crossed  from 
the  coast  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Lewes,  Avith  no  purpose 
other  than  prospecting  the  country.  ^Phe  date  is  variously 
set  from  1873  to  1878,  but  the  preponderance  of  testimony 
makes  tut  latter  date  the  more  probable  one.  He  was 
accompanied  by  two  Indians  and  crossed  by  the  Chilkoot 
Pass.  On  his  return  he  reported  the  discovery  of  "coarse 
gold."  His  trip  was  .authenticated  by  inquiry  among 
miners  who  luui  followed  the  routes  he  told  them  of. 

The  Yukon  district  is  not  the  entirely  wild,  savage,  un- 
known land  which  romancists  have  been  painting  it.  Gold, 
in  paying  quantities  has  been  found  there  for  over  a  decade. 
In  1887  a  hundred  and  fifty  hardy  miners,  making  no  secret 
of  the  wealth  of  the  drift  they  washed,  amassed  fortunes 
there. 

The  Yukon  Dijtrict  has  been  growing,  as  access  to  the 
country  became  more  easy  and  the  output  has  been  the 
greater  only  because  the  placer  diggings  have  been  extend- 
ed and  have  been  worked  by  more  hands.  Add  to  the 
present  comparative  facility  of  reaching  there  the  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge  of  the  wealth  of  the  mineral 
through  the  newspapers  and  the  consequent  interest  ex- 
cited, and  you  have  explained  the  difference  between  the 
excitement  of  1897  and  the  languor  of  1887.  And  yet,  in 
1887,  Dr.  George  M.  Dawson,  the  chief  of  an  exploring 
party  sent  by  the  Canadian  Government  into  the  Yukon 
district  made  a  report  confirming  in  the  fullest  the  pres- 
ence of  gold  in  great  quantities.  Dawson,  City,  N.  W.  T., 
the  principal  mining  camp  in  the  Klondyke  region,  was 
named  in  his  honor. 

I  ossibly  the   conjecture,  accepted  as  a  fact,  that  this 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


n 


^ 


j 


land,  in  the  language  of  a  late  Canadian  cabinet  minister, 
was  "  the  home  of  the  bear  and  the  wolf,  and  fit  only  to  be 
the  home  of  such,"  had  something  to  do  with  the  indiffer- 
ence. With  the  Yukon,  snow  that  was  practically  perpet- 
ual, and  great  mountains  of  ice  seemed  indissolubly  con- 
nected. It  was  taken  for  granted  that  it  was  a  land  not 
fit  to  live  in  and  that  stories  from  it  had  to  be  accepted 
with  great  allowance  for  the  extravagance  of  language  in 
which  men  who  lived  in  Arctic  lands  are  likely  to  indulge 
when  they  reach  territory,  where  the  sun  gives  warmth, 
for  warmth  is  conducive  to  garrulity  and  exuberance  of 
thought. 

In  1859  negotiations  were  commenced  between  Russia 
and  the  United  States  with  the  view  of  the  United  States 
purchasing  Eussian  America,  or  Alaska,  a  territory  of  over 
five  hundred  thousand  square  miles. 

In  March,  18G7,  Secretary  Seward  made  an  offer  of 
$7,200,000,  on  condition  that  the  cession  be  ''free  and  un- 
encumbered by  any  reservations,  privileges,  franchises, 
grants  or  possessions,  by  associated  or  unassociated  com- 
panies Avhether  corporated  or  unincorporated,  Eussian  or 
any  other." 

In  May  the  treaty  was  ratified,  and  on  the  20th  of  July 
1867  the  usual  proclamation  was  issued  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States. 

On  the  18th  of  October,  1807,  the  formal  transfer  of 
Alaska  was  made  at  Sitka  to  General  Eousseau  representa- 
tive of  the  United  States. 

The  treaty  between  Eussiaand  the  United  States,  estab- 
lishes the  eastern  and  southern  boundary  lines  as  arranged 
by  Russia  and  Great  Britain  in  1825.  The  western  line  in- 
cludes the  whole  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Attou  is  dii«- 
tinctly  named  as  the  most  westerly  island  ceded.  The 
northern  boundary  is  only  limited  by  the  ice  and  snow  of 
the  Arctic. 


.^ 


i 


12 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


THE  YUKOX    RIVER   AND   ITS   TRIBUTARIES. 

*'  What  the  Amazon  is  to  South  America,  the  Mississippi 
to  the  central  portion  of  the        ited  States,  the  Yukon  is 
to  Alasiva.     It  is  a  great  inhii  .   iiiglnvay,  which  will  make 
it  possible  for  the  explorer  to  penetrate  the  mysterious  fast- 
nesses of  that  still  unknown  region.     'Die  Yukon  has  its 
source  in  the  Eocky  Mountains  of  British  Columbia  and 
the  Coast  Range  Mountains  in  southeastern  Alaska,  about 
125  miles  from  the  city  of  Juneau,  which  is  the  present 
metropolis  of  Alaska.     But  it  is  only  l.nown  as  the  Yukon 
River  at  the  point  where  the  Felly  Kivtr,  the  branch  that 
heads  in  British  Columbia,  meets  with  the  Lewes  River, 
which  heads  in  southeastern  Alaska.     This  point  of  con- 
fluence is  at  Fort  Selkirk,  in  the  Xorthwcst  Territory, 
about  125  miles  southeast  of  the  Klondyke.     The  Yukon 
projier  is  3,044  miles  in  length.     From  Fort   Selkirk  it 
flows  northwest  400  miles,  just  touching  the  Arctic  circle  ; 
Whence  southward  for  a  distance  of  1,000  miles,  where  it 
empties  into  Behring  Sea.     It  drains  more  than  ()00,000 
square  miles  of  territory,  and  discharges  one-third  more 
water  into  Behring  Sea  than  does  the  Mississippi  into  the 
Gulf  of   Mexico.     At   its   mouth  it   is  sixty  miles  wide. 
About  1,500  miles  inland  it  widens  out  from  one  to  ten 
miles.     A  thonsaiul   islands  send  the  channel  in  as  many 
different   directions.     Only   natives   who  are  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  river  are  entrusted  with  the  piloting  of 
boats  up  the  stream  during  the  season  of  low  water.     Even 
at  the  season  of  higii  water  it  is  still  so  shallow  as  not  to 
be  navigable  anywhere  by  seagoing  vessels,  but  only  by  tlat- 
bottomed  boats  with  a  (iarrying  ca})acity  of  four  to  five 
hundred   tons.     The  draft    (»f  steamers    on   the    Yukon 
should  not  exceed  three  and  a  iudf  feet. 


as 

H 
M 

a 

► 

O 

► 
f 

H 
O 

cl 

a 

> 

n 

O 


c. 

O 


t4 
K 

s 

O 

2 

S 

o 

M 
O 


^1 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


18 


"The  Yukon  district,  which  is  within  the  jiirisdiction 
of  the  Canadian  Government  and  in  which  the  bulk  of  the 
gold  has  been  found,  luis  a  total  area,  approximately,  of 
192,000  square  miles,  of  which  100,708  square  miles  are 
included  in  the  watershed  of  the  Yukon.  Illustrating  this, 
so  that  it  may  appeal  with  dcfiniteness  to  the  reader,  it 
may  be  said  that  this  territory  is  greater  by  71,100  square 
miles  than  the  area  of  Great  Britain,  and  is  nearly  three 
times  that  of  all  the  New  England  States  combined. 

**A  further  fact  must  be  borne  in  mind.  The  Yukon 
River  is  absolutely  closed  to  navigation  during  the 
winter  months,  In  the  winter  the  frost-king  asserts  his 
dominion  and  locks  up  all  approaches  with  impenetrable 
ice,  and  the  summer  is  of  the  briefest.  It  endures  only 
for  twelve  to  fourteen  weeks,  from  about  the  first  of 
June  to  the  middle  of  September.  Then  an  unend- 
ing panorama  of  extraordinary  picturesqueness  is  unfolded 
to  the  voyager.  The  banks  are  fringed  with  flowers, 
carpeted  with  the  all-pervading  moss  or  tundra.  Birds 
countless  in  numbers  and  of  infinite  ,ariety  in  plumage, 
sing  out  a  welcome  from  every  treetop.  Pitch  your  tent 
where  you  will  in  midsummer,  a  bed  of  roses,  a  clump  of 
poppies  and  a  bunch  of  bluebells  will  adorn  your  camping. 
But  high  above  this  paradise  of  almost  tropical  exuberance 
giant  glaciers  sleep  in  the  summit  of  the  mountain  wall, 
which  rises  up  from  a  bed  of  roses.  By  September  every- 
thing is  changed.  The  bed  of  roses  has  disappeared  be- 
fore the  icy  breath  of  the  winter  king,  which  sends  the 
thermometer  down  sometimes  to  seventy  degrees  below 
freezing  point.  The  birds  fly  to  the  southland  and  the 
bear  to  his  sleeping  chamber  in  the  mountains.  Every 
stream  becomes  a  sheet  of  ice,  mountain  and  valley  alike  are 
covered  with  snow  till  the  following  May. 

"  That  part  of  the  basin  of  the  Yukon  in  which  gold  in 
greater  or  less  quantities  has  actually  been  found  lies  partly 


i 


14 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


ill  Alaska  and  partly  in  British  territory.  It  covers  an  area 
of  some  50,000  square  miles.  But  so  far  the  infinitely 
richest  spot  lies  some  one  hundred  miles  east  of  tlio 
American  boundary,  in  the  region  drained  by  the  Klondyko 
and  its  tributaries.  This  is  some  three  hundred  miles  by 
river  from  Circle  City. 

*'  We  have  described  some  of  the  beauties  of  the  Yukon 
basin  in  the  summer  season,  but  this  radiant  picture  has 
its  obverse  side. 

**  Horseflies,  gnats  and  mosquitoes  add  to  the  joys  of  liv- 
ing throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  Yukon  valley. 
The  horsefly  is  larger  and  more  poignantly  assertive  than 
the  insect  which  we  know  by  that  name.  In  dressing  or 
undressing,  it  has  a  pleasant  habit  of  detecting  any  bare 
spot  in  the  body  and  biting  out  a  piece  of  flesh,  leaving  a 
wound  which  a  few  days  later  looks  liivc  an  incipient  boil. 
Schwatka  reports  that  one  of  his  party,  so  bitten  was  com- 
pletely disabled  for  a  week.  '  At  the  moment  of  infliction.* 
he  adds,  *  it  was  hard  to  believe  that  one  was  not  disabled 
for  life.' 

"  The  mosquitoes  according  to  the  same  authority  are 
equally  distressing.  They  are  especially  fond  of  cattle, 
but  without  any  reciprocity  of  affection.  *  According  to 
the  general  terms  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  and  the 
growth  of  muscles  most  used  to  the  detriment  of  others,' 
savs  the  lieutenant  in  an  unusual  burst  of  humor,  'a  band 
of  cattle  inhabiting  this  district,  in  the  far  future,  would  be 
all  tail  and  no  body,  unless  the  mosquitoes  should  experience 
a  change  of  numbers.'" 

1  am  indebted  to  Wm.  Ogilvie,  Esq.,  for  the  following 
valuable  information  relative  to  Tlio  Yukon  District. 

"  The  Yukon  District  comprises,  speaking  generally,  that 
part  of  the  Northwest  Territories  lying  west  of  the  water 
shed  of  the  Mackenzie  River  ;  most  of  it  is  drained  bv  the 
Yukon   River  and   its  tributaries.     It  covers  a  distance 


I 


KL  OXD  VK  K  FA  CIS. 


15 


s  uii  area 
infinitely 
t  of  tho 
[londyke 
miles  by 

e  Yukon 
ture  iias 

ys  of  liv- 
n  valley, 
cive  than 
essing  or 
any  bare 
eaving  a 
lent  boil, 
kvas  com- 
iiliction/ 
disabled 

l»rity  are 

cattle, 

rding  to 

and  the 

others/ 

a  band 

ould  be 

lerience 

llowing 
t. 

ly,  that 
e  water 
bv  the 
istance 


of  about  050  miles  along  the  rivi-r  from  tho  coast  range  of 
mountains. 

*'  In  1848  Campbell  ostablislicd  Fort  Selkirk  at  tlie  conflu- 
ence of  the  Pelly  and  Lewes  Rivers  ;  it  was  i)lundcrcd  and 
destroyed  in  IS^'ibv  the  Coast  Indians,  and  onlv  the  ruins 
now  exist  of  what  was  at  one  time  the  most  iiiiport'.mt  post 
of  the  Hudson's  Htiy  Company  to  tluMvest  of  the  Uocky 
Mountains  in  the  far  north.  In  ISd!)  the  lliulson's  Uay 
Com[)any's  olliccr  was  expelled  from  Fort  ^'ukon  by  the 
Unitc'd  States  (loverament,  they  having  ascertained  by  as- 
tronomical observations  that  the  post  was  not  located  in 
liritish  territory.  The  otiicer  thereupon  ascended  the 
Porcupine  to  a  point  whicli  was  supposed  to  be  within 
British  jurisdiction,  where  he  estal)lished  Ham[)art  House  ; 
but  in  1800  Mr.  .1.  II.  Turner  of  the  United  States  Coast 
Survey  found  it  to  be  ^0  miles  within  the  lines  of  the 
United  States.  Consequently  in  181)1  the  post  was  moved 
20  miles  further  up  the  river  to  be  within  British  territory. 

"The next  people  to  enter  tlie  country  for  trading  pur- 
l)oses  were  ^lessrs.  Harper  and  M;.'Qucstion.  They  have 
been  trading  in  the  country  since  18T3  and  have  occupied 
numerous  posts  all  along  the  river,  the  greater  number  of 
T  liich  have  been  abaiuloned.  Mr.  Harper  is  now  located 
as  a  trader  at  F'ort  Selkirk,  with  Mr.  .Joseph  Laduo  under 
the  firm  name  of  Harper  &  Ladue,  and  yir.  ^IcQuestion  is 
in  the  employ  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  at 
Circle  City,  which  is  the  distributing  point  for  the  vast 
regions  surrounding  Birch  Creek,  Alaska.  In  1883  a 
number  of  miners  entered  the  Yukon  country  by  the 
Taiya  Pass  ;  it  is  still  the  only  route  used  to  any  extent  by 
the  miners,  and  is  shorter  than  the  other  passes  though 
not  the  lowest.  In  1883  Lieutenant  Schwatka  crossed 
this  same  pass  and  descended  the  Lewes  and  Yukon 
Riverr.  to  the  ocean. 

"  Thd  explorers  found  that  in  proximity  to  the  boundary 


16 


KLONDYKE  FACTS, 


line  there  existed  extensive  and  valuable  placer  gold  mines, 
in  which  even  then  as  many  as  three  hundred  miners 
were  at  work.  Mr.  Ogilvie  determined,  by  a  series  of  lunar 
observations,  the  point  at  which  tlie  Yukon  River  is  in- 
tersected by  the  141st  meridian,  and  marked  the  same  on 
the  ground.  He  also  determined  and  marked  the  point  at 
which  the  western  affluent  of  the  Yukon,  known  as  Forty 
Mile  Creek,  is  cro?sed  by  the  same  meridian  line,  that 
point  being  situated  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty-three 
miles  from  tlie  mouth  of  the  creek.  This  survey  proved 
that  the  place  which  had  been  selected  as  the  most  con- 
venient, owing  to  the  physical  conformation  of  the  region, 
from  which  to  distribute  the  supplies  imported  for  the 
various  mining  camps,  and  from  which  to  conduct  the 
other  business  incident  to  the  mining  operations — a  place 
situate  at  the  confluence  of  the  Forty  Mile  Creek  and  the 
Yukon,  and  to  which  the  name  of  Fort  Cudahy  has  been 
given — is  well  within  Canadian  territory.  The  greater 
proportion  of  the  mines  then  being  worked  Mr.  Ogilvie 
found  to  be  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  international 
boundary  lino,  but  he  reported  the  existence  of  some  min- 
ing fields  to  the  south,  the  exact  position  of  which  with 
respect  to  the  boundary  he  did  not  have  the  opportunity 
to  fix. 

"  The  number  of  persons  engaged  in  mining  in  the 
locality  mentioned  has  steadily  increased  year  by  year  since 
the  date  of  Mr.  Ogilvie's  survey,  and  it  is  estimated  tht.t  at 
the  commencement  of  the  past  season  not  less  than  one 
thousand  men  were  so  employed.  Incident  to  tliis  mineral 
development  there  must  follow  a  corresponding  growth  lu 
the  volume  of  business  of  all  descriptions,  particularly  the 
importation  of  dutiable  goods,  and  the  occupation  of  tracts 
of  the  public  lands  for  mining  purposes  which  according 
to  the  mining  regulations  are  subject  to  the  payment  of 
certain  prescribed  dues  and  charges.     The  Alaska   Com- 


BS 

o 
o 
o 

o 
w 


K 

>■ 

D 

Hi 

a 
o 

S2! 


3. 


5^ 


O 
1 
rf 

o 

O 

P 


o 
•<1 


ni 

o 


ELONDYKE  FACTS.  17 

mercial  Company,  for  many  years  subsequent  to  the  retire- 
ment of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  had  a  practical 
monopoly  of  tlie  trade  of  the  Yukon,  carrying  into  the 
country  and  delivering  fl,t  various  points  along  the  river, 
without  regard  to  the  international  ))oundarv  line  or  the 
customs  laws  and  regulations  of  Canada,  such  articles  of 
commerce  as  were  required  for  the  prosecution  of  the  fur 
trade  and  latterly  of  placer  mining,  tlicse  being  tlie  only 
two  existing  industries.  With  tlie  discovery  of  gold,  how- 
ever, came  the  organization  of  a  competing  company  known 
as  the  North  iVmerican  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
pany, having  its  lieadquarters  in  Chicago  and  its  chief 
trading  and  distributing  post  at  Cudahy.  This  company 
has  been  engaged  in  this  trade  for  over  three  years,  and 
during  the  past  season  despatched  two  ocean  steamers 
from  San  Francisco  to  St.  Michael,  at  the  mouth  of  the  i 

Yukon,  the  merchandise  from  which  was,  at  the  last  men-  i\ 

tioned  point,  transliipped  into  ri\  or  steamers  and  carried  ;]' 

to  points  inland,  but  chiefly  to  the  company's  distributing  ' 

centre  within  Ctinadian  territory.     Importations  of  con-  ' 

siderable  value,  consisting  of  the  immediately  requisite  ;'; 

supplies    of  the    miners,  and  their  tools,  also  reacli  tlie  |, 

Canadian  portion  of  the  Yukon  District  from  Juneau,  in  j'.i 

the  United  States,  byway  of  the  Taiya  Inlet,  the  mountain  lij 

jiasses,  and  the  chain  of  waterways  loading  therefrom  to  .  s 

Cudahy.     Upon  none  of  these  importations  had  any  duty  ; : 

been  collected,  except  a  sum  of  ^3, '^48. 80  paid  to  Inspector  j; ' 

Constantine  in  1804,  by  the  North  American  Transporta-  .  |' 

tion  and  Trading  Company  and  others,  audit  is  safe  to  ft 

conclude,  especially  Avhcn  it  is  remembered  that  the  coun-  •  [' 

try  produces  none  of  the  articles  consumed  within  it  ex- 
cept fresh  meat,  that  a  large  revenue  was  being  lost  to 
the  public  exchequer  under  the  then  existing  conditions. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  officially  and  author- 
itatively the  condition  of  alfairs  to  which  the  correspond- 


ii 


18 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


ence  referred  to  in  the  next  preceding  paragraph  relates, 
the  Honorable  the  President  of  the  Privy  Council,  dur- 
ing the  spring  of  189i,  despatched  Inspector  Charles  Con- 
stantine,  of  the  Northwest  Mounted  Police  Force,  accom- 
panied hy  Sergeant  Brown,  to  Fort  Cudahy  and  the 
mining  camps  in  its  vicinity.  The  report  made  by  Mr. 
Constantine  on  his  return,  established  the  substantial 
accuracy  of  the  representations  already  referred  to.  The 
value  of  the  total  output  of  gold  for  the  season  of  1894  he 
estimated  at  $300,000. 

"  The  facts  recited  clearly  establish — first,  that  the  time 
had  arrived  when  it  became  the  duty  of  the  Government 
of  Canada  to  make  more  efficient  provision  for  the  main- 
tenance of  order,  the  enforcement  of  the  laws,  and  the 
administration  of  justice  in  the  Yukon  country,  especially 
in  that  section  of  it  in  which  placer  mining  for  gold  is  be- 
ing prosecuted  upon  such  an  extensive  scale,  situated  near 
to  the  boundary  separating  the  Northwest  Territories  from 
the  jiossessions  of  the  United  States  in  Alaska ;  and, 
second,  that  while  such  measures  as  were  necessary  to  that 
end  were  called  for  in  the  interests  of  humanity,  and  par- 
ticularly for  the  security  and  safety  of  the  lives  and  projierty 
of  the  Canadian  subjects  of  ller  Majesty  resident  in  that 
country  who  are  engaged  in  legitimate  business  pursuits, 
it  was  evident  that  tiie  revenue  justly  due  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  Canada,  under  its  customs,  excise  and  land  laws, 
and  which  Avould  go  a  long  Avay  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
government,  was  being  lost  for  the  want  of  adequate 
machinery  for  its  collection. 

"Accordingly  in  June  last  a  detachment*  of  twenty 
members  of  the  Mounted  Police    Force  including  officers 


*The  detachment  was  made  up  as  follows  : — Inspector  C.  Con- 
stantine. Officer  Commandiiif?  Yukon  Dotaclunent  N.  W.  M. 
Police  ;  Inspector,  I).  A.  E.  Strickland  ;  Assistant  Surgeon,  A.  E. 
Wills ;  2  Staff  Sergeants  ;  3  Corporals  ;  13  Constables. 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


19 


was  detailed  for  service  in  that  portion  of  the  Northwest 
Territories.  The  officer  in  command^  in  addition  to  the 
magisterial  and  other  duties  he  is  required  to  perform  by 
virtue  of  his  office  and  under  instructions  from  the  Depart- 
ment of  Mounted  Police,  was  duly  authorized  to  represent 
where  necessary,  and  until  other  arrangements  can  be 
made,  all  the  departments  of  the  government  having  in- 
terests in  that  region.  Particularly  he  is  authorized  to 
perform  the  duties  of  Dominion  lands  agent,  collector  of 
customs,  and  collector  of  inland  revenue.  At  the  same 
time  instructions  Avere  given  Mr.  William  Ogilvie,  the  sur- 
veyor referred  to  as  having,  with  Dr.  Dawson,  been  en- 
trust jd  with  the  conduct  of  the  first  government  expedi- 
tion o  the  Yukon,  to  proceed  again  to  that  district  for  the 
purpose  of  continuing  and  extending  the  work  of  deter- 
mining the  141st  meridian,  of  laying  out  building  lots  and 
mining  claims,  and  generally  of  performing  such  duties  as 
may  be  entrusted  to  him  from  time  to  time.  Mr.  Ogilvie's 
qualifications  as  a  surveyor,  and  his  previous  experience 
as  explorer  of  this  section  of  the  Northwest,  peculiarly  fit 
him  for  the  task. 

*'  As  it  appears  quite  certain,  from  the  report  made  by 
Mr.  Ogilvie  on  his  return  to  Ottawa,  in  1889,  and  from 
the  report  of  Mr.  Constantino,  that  the  operations  of  the 
miners  are  being  conducted  upon  streams  which  have  their 
sources  in  the  United  States  Territory  of  Alaska,  and  flow 
into  Canada  on  their  way  to  join  the  Yukon,  and  as  doubt- 
less some  of  the  placer  diggings  under  development  are 
situated  on  the  United  States  side,  of  tlie  boundary  it  is 
highly  desirable,  both  for  the  purpose  of  settling  definitely 
to  which  country  any  land  occupied  for  mining  or  other 
purposes  actually  belongs,  and  in  order  that  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  courts  and  officers  of  tlie  United  States  and 
Canada,  for  both  civil  and  criminal  purposes,  may  be  estab- 
lished, that  the  determination  of  the  141st  meridian  west 


20 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


of  Greenwich  from  the  point  of  its  intersection  with  the 
Yukon,  as  marked  by  Mr.  Ogilvie  in  1887-88,  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  south  of  the  river,  and  possibly  also  for 
some  distance  to  the  north,  should  be  proceeded  with  at 
once.  Mr.  Ogilvie's  instructions  require  him  to  go  on  with 
the  survey  with  all  convenient  speed,  but  in  order  that  this 
work  may  bo  effective  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  object 
in  view  the  co-operation  of  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  is  necessary.  Correspondence  is  in  progress  through 
the  proper  authorities  with  a  view  to  obtaining  this  co- 
operation. It  may  be  mentioned  that  a  United  States 
surveyor  has  also  determined  the  points  at  which  the 
Yukon  Eiver  and  Forty  Mile  Creek  are  intersected  by  the 
14st  meridian.'' 


■| 


I 

I 

f 


i 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


21 


the 

on- 

for 

li  at 

v^ith 

this 

ject 

ited 

ugh 

co- 

ates 

the 

the 


CHAPTER  II. 

ROUTES,  DISTANCES,    AND  TRANSPORTATION. 

After  considerable  experience  I  have  decided  that  tlie 
best  rente  for  a  man  to  take  to  the  gold  regions  is  from 
Seattle,  Washington,  to  Juneau,  Alaska,  and  then  to  Daw- 
son City,  by  the  pass  and  waterways,  and  I  will  therefore 
describe  this  route  more  in  detail  than  any  of  the  others. 

I  am  devoting  a  special  chapter  to  the  outfit  for  travellers, 
and  will  therefore  deal  in  this  chapter  with  the  route  only. 

The  traveller  having  paid  liis  fare  to  Seattle  should 
on  arrival  there  have  not  less  than  $500.  This  is  the 
minimum  sum  necessary  to  pay  his  fare  from  Seattle  to 
Juneau,  purchase  his  outfit  and  supplies  for  one  year  and 
pay  his  necessary  expenses  in  the  gold  region  for  that  length 
of  time. 

I  think  it  deplorable  that  so  many  are  starting  at  this  time 
for  the  gold-fields.  I  do  not  recommend  starting  before 
March  15.  I  Avill  return  at  that  time  to  my  claims  on  the 
Klondyke,  if  it  Avere  wise  to  go  sooner,  I  should  certainly 

go- 
The  reason  March  15  is  best  is  that  the  season  is  better 

then.     If  a  man  has  only,  say,  $500  and  wants  to  do  his 

own  packing  over  the  Taiya  Pass,  it  gives  him  time  to  do  it 

by  starting  March  15,  as  he  will  then  be  in  Juneau  April 

1st.     I  fear  a  great  deal  of  hardship  for  those  who  started 

out  so  as  to  reach  Juneau  for  winter  travel. 

Of  course  while  I  say  $500  is  sufficient  to  go  to  Daw- 

Bon  City,  a  man  should  take  $1,000  or  even  more  if  pos- 


IP. 
nil 


!h:j 


8!f;| 


22 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


sible  as  he  will  have  many  opportunities  to  invest  the 
surplus. 

While  prices  will  undoubtedly  advance  at  Dawson  City 
owing  to  the  large  influx  of  people,  I  do  not  think  the  ad- 
vance will  be  excessive.  It  has  never  been  the  policy  of 
the  two  trading  companies  to  take  advantage  of  the  miners. 

The  traveller  having  arrived  in  Juneau  from  Seattle,  a 
journey  of  725  miles  by  water,  immediately  purchases  his 
complete  outfit  as  described  in  another  chapter.  He  then 
loses  no  time  in  leaving  Juneau  for  Dyea,  taking  a  small 
steamboat  which  runs  regularly  to  this  port  via  the  Lynn 
Canal.  Dyea  has  recently  been  made  a  customs  port  of 
entry  and  the  head  of  navigation  this  side  of  the  Taiya 
Pass.  The  distance  between  Juneau  and  Dyea  is  about  one 
hundred  miles. 

^>om  Dyea,  which  is  the  timber-line,  he  packs  his  outfit 
to  the  foot  of  the  Taiya  Pass — the  length  of  which  to  the 
summit  is  about  15  miles.  lie  must  now  carry  his  outfit 
up  the  Pass,  which  he  generally  does  in  two  or  more  trips 
according  to  the  weight  of  his  outfit,  unless  he  is  able 
hire  Indians  or  mules  ;  but  so  far  tliere  are  very  few  to 
Indians  to  be  hired  and  still  fewer  mules. 

lie  now  starts  for  Lake  Lindeman  from  the  head  of  the 
Paas,  a  distance  of  eight  miles — tlie  distance  from  Dyea  to 
Lake  Lindeman  being  ol  miles. 

At  Lake  Lindonum  he  coinraeiices  to  make  his  boat,  for 
which  ho  has  broiiglit  tlie  proper  supplies  in  his  outfit, 
with  the  exception  of  the  timber,  which  lie  finds  at  Lake 
Lindeman.  He  spends  one  week  at  Lake  Lindeman  mak- 
ing his  boat  and  getting  ready  for  the  long  trip  down  the 
waterways  to  Dawson  City,  the  heart  of  the  Klondyke  re- 
gion. The  tr'p  througli  Lake  I/indeman  is  short,  the 
lake  being  only  five  miles  long.  \  i;  the  foot  of  the  lake 
he  must  portage  to  Lake  Bennet,  the  portage  however  be- 
ing very  short,  less  than  a  mile. 


THE  A8CBNT  OF  TAITA  PASS 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


23 


Lake  Bonnet  is  28  miles  long,  while  going  through  this 
lake  the  traveller  crosses  the  hoiuulary  between  British 
Columbia  and  the  Northwest  '^l^erritory. 

After  going  down  Lake  Benuot  the  traveller  comes  to 
Caribou  Crossing — about  four  miles  long,  which  takes  him 
to  Lake  Tagish,  twenty  miles  in  length.  After  leaving 
Tagish  ho  finds  himself  in  Mud  or  Marsh  Lake,  24  miles 
long,  then  into  tho  Lynx  River,  on  which  he  continues  for 
27  miles  till  ho  comes  to  Miles  Canyon,  five-eighths  of  a 
mile  long. 

Immediately  on  leaving  Miles  Canyon  he  has  three  miles 
of  what  is  called  bad  river  work,  which,  while  not  hazard- 
ous, is  dangerous  from  tho  swift  current  aiul  from  being 
very  rocky.  Great  care  has  to  be  taken  in  going  down  this 
part  of  tho  river. 

Ho  now  finds  himself  in  White  Horse  Canyon  tho  rapids 
of  which  are  three-eighths  of  a  mile  in  length  and  one  of 
the  most  dangerous  places  on  the  trip,  a  man  is  here 
guarded  by  a  sign,  "  Keep  a  good  lookout." 

No  stranger  or  novice  sliould  try  to  run  the  White  Horse 
Rapids  alone  in  a  boat.  Ho  should  let  his  boat  drop  down 
the  river  guided  by  a  rope  with  which  ho  has  provided 
himself  in  his  outfit  and  which  should  be  150  feet  long. 
It  would  be  better  if  tho  traveller  should  portage  here,  the 
miners  having  constructed  a  portage  road  on  tho  west  side 
and  put  down  roller- ways  in  some  places  on  which  they 
roll  their  boats  over.  They  have  also  made  some  wind- 
lasses with  which  they  haul  their  boat  up  the  hill  till  tliey 
arc  at  thi>  foot  of  the  canyon.  Tho  White  Horse  Canyon 
is  very  rocky  and  dangerous  and  the  current  extremely 
swift. 

After  leaving  the  White  Horse  Canyon  he  goes  down  the 
river  to  the  head  of  Lake  Labarge,  a  distance  of  14  miles. 
He  can  sit  down  and  steer  with  the  current,  as  he  is  going 
down  the  stream  all  the  way.     It  is  for  this  reason  that  in 


i.'l 


24 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


returning  from  the  diggings  he  should  take  another  route, 
of  which  ho  will  get  full  particulars  before  leaving  Dawson  ; 
tliereforo  I  do  not  take  the  time  to  give  a  full  description 
of  the  return  trip  via  the  Yukon  to  St.  Michael.  He  now 
goes  through  Lake  Labarge — for  31  miles — till  he  strikes 
the  Lewes  River,  this  taking  him  down  to  Ilootalinqua. 
He  is  now  in  the  Lewes  River  which  takes  him  for  25  miles 
to  Big  Salmon  River  and  from  Big  Salmon  River  45  miles 
to  Little  Salmon  River — the  current  all  this  time  taking 
him  down  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour.  Of  course  in 
the  canyons  it  is  very  much  swifter. 

The  Little  Salmon  River  takes  him  to  Five  Finger 
Rapids,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  In 
the  Five  Finger  Rapids  the  voyage  should  be  made  on  the 
right  side  of  the  river,  going  with  the  current.  These 
rapids  are  considered  safe  by  careful  management,  but  the 
novice  will  already  have  had  sufficient  experience  in  guid- 
ing his  boat  before  reaching  them. 

From  Five  Finger  Rapids  the  traveller  goes  six  miles 
below,  down  the  j.ewes,  to  the  Rink  Rapids.  Ongoing 
through  the  Rijik  Itapids,  he  continues  on  the  Lewes  River 
to  Fort  Selkirk,  the  trading  post  of  Harper  and  Ladue, 
where  the  Pelly  and  Lewes,  at  their  junction,  form  the 
headwaters  of  the  Yukon.  You  are  now  at  th:  head  of 
the  Yukon  River,  and  the  worst  part  of  your  trip  is  over. 

You  now  commence  to  go  down  the  Yukon,  and  after  a 
trip  of  ninety-eight  miles,  you  are  in  the  White  River. 
You  keep  on  the  White  River  for  ten  miles,  to  the  Stewart 
River,  and.  then  twenty-five  miles  to  Fort  Ogilvie.  You 
are  now  only  forty  miles  from  Dawson  City. 

Your  journey  is  now  almost  ended.  After  a  forty-mile 
trip  on  the  Yukon,  you  arrive  at  Dawson  City,  where  the 
Klondyke  empties  in  the  Yukon. 

All  through  this  trip  you  have  been  going  through  a 
mountainous  country,  the  trees  there  being  pine,  a  small 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


25 


amount  of  spruce,  oottoiiwood  uiul  bireli.  You  Imvo  not 
seen  much  game,  if  any,  as  it  is  growing  scarce  along  tliat 
line  of  river,  and  very  hard  to  find.  The  traveller  had 
therefore  better  make  preparation  to  depend  on  tlie  pro- 
visions he  lias  brought  with  him.  If  he  has  stopped  to 
fish,  ho  may  have  been  successful  in  catching  whitcfish, 
grayling  and  lake  trout,  along  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

The  total  journey  from  Seattle  to  Dawson  C'ity  lias  taken 
about  two  months.  In  connection  with  this  trip  from 
Juneau  to  Dawson  City,  it  is  perliaps  better  to  give  the 
reader  the  benefit  of  the  trip  of  ^Ir.  William  Stewart, 
who  writes  from  Lake  Lindeman,  ^lay  31st,  1807,  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  We  arrived  here  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake  last  night 
by  boat.  AVe  have  had  an  awful  time  of  it.  The  Taiya 
Pass  is  not  a  pass  at  all,  but  a  climb  riglit  over  the  moun- 
tains. "We  left  Juneau  on  Thursday,  the  twentieth,  on 
a  little  boat  smaller  than  the  ferry  at  OttaAva.  There  were 
over  sixty  aboard,  all  in  one  room  about  ten  by  fourteen. 
There  was  baggage  piled  up  in  one  end  so  that  the  floor- 
space  was  only  about  eight  by  eiglit.  AVe  went  aboard 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  went  ashore  at 
Dyea  at  seven  o'clock  Friday  night.  AVe  got  the  Indians 
to  pack  all  our  stuff  up  to  the  summit,  but  about  fifty 
pounds  each  ;  I  had  forty-eight  pounds  and  my  gun. 

"We  left  Dyea,  an  Indian  village,  Sunday,  but  only  got 
up  the  river  one  mile.  We  towed  all  the  stuff  up  the 
river  seven  miles,  and  then  packed  it  to  Sheep  Camp. 
We  reached  Sheep  Camp  about  seven  o'clock  at  night, 
on  the  Queen's  Birthday.  A  beautiful  time  Ave  had,  I  can 
tell  you,  climbing  hills  Avith  fifty  pounds  on  our  backs. 
It  Avould  not  be  so  bad  if  Ave  could  strap  it  on  rightly. 

"We  left  Sheep  Camp  next  morning  at  four  o'clock, 
and  reached  the  summit  at  half-past  seven.  It  was  an 
awful  climb — an  angle   of  about  fifty-five  degrees.     We 


I 


i 


26 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


could  keep  our  hands  touching  the  trail  all  the  way  up. 
It  was  blowing  and  snowing  up  there.  Wo  paid  off  the 
Indians,  and  got  some  sleighs  and  sleighed  the  stuff  down 
the  hill.  This  hill  goes  down  pretty  swift,  iUid  then  drops 
at  an  angle  of  fifty-five  degrees  for  about  forty  feet,  and 
wo  had  to  rough-lock  our  sleighs  and  let  them  go.  There 
was  an  awful  fog,  and  we  could  not  see  whore  we  were 
going.  Some  fellows  lielpcd  us  down  witli  the  first  load, 
or  there  would  have  been  notliing  left  of  us.  When  we 
let  a  sleigh  go  from  the  top  it  jumps  about  fifty  feet  clear, 
aiul  comes  down  in  pieces.  We  loaded  up  the  sleighs  with 
some  of  our  stuff,  about  two  huiulred  and  twenty-five 
pounds  each,  and  started  across  tlio  lakes.  The  trail  was 
awful,  and  we  waded  through  water  and  lush  two  and 
three  feet  deep.  We  got  to  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  at 
about  eight  o'clock  at  night,  done  out.  We  left  there  that 
night,  aiul  pushed  on  again  until  morning.  We  got  to 
the  bottom  of  an  awful  hill,  and  pac^:ed  aU  our  stuff  from 
there  to  the  hill  ul)ove  the  lake.  We  had  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  over  hills,  in  snow  and  slush.  I  carried  about 
five  hundred  pounds  over  that  part  of  the  trail.  We  had 
to  get  dogs  to  bring  the  stuff  down  from  the  sunmiit  to 
the  liead  of  the  canyon. 

AVe  worked  two  days  bringing  tlie  stuff  over  from  the 
canyon  to  the  hill  above  tlie  lake.  Saturday  we  worked  all 
day  packing  down  the  hill  to  the  lake,  and  came  here  on 
a  scow.  AVe  were  out  yesterday  morning  cutting  dow.i 
trees  to  build  a  L  )at.  The  timber  is  small,  and  I  don't 
think  Ave  can  get  more  than  four-inch  stuff.  It  rained  all 
afternoon,  and  we  couldn't  do  anything.  There  are  about 
fifty  boats  of  all  sorts  on  Lake  Bcniu't,  which  is  about  half 
a  mile  from  Jiere.  I  have  long  rubber  boots  up  to  me  hips, 
and  I  did  not  have  them  on  (uuning  from  the  summit  down, 
but  I  have  worn  them  ever  since. 

We  met  Barwell  and  Lewis,  of  Ottawa,  to-day.     They 


H 


^i 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


m 


were  out  looking  for  kncc-s  for  their  boats.  Tliey  left 
Ottawa  six  weeks  ago,  iiiul  have  not  got  any  farther  tlian 
we  have.  There  was  a  little  saw-mill  going  here,  and  they 
have  their  lumber  sawn.  We  have  it  that  warm  some  days 
here  that  you  would  fairly  roast,  and  the  next  day  you 
would  be  looking  for  your  overcoat.  Everybody  here 
seems  to  be  taking  in  enough  food  to  do  them  a  couple  of 
years. 

We  are  now  in  Canadian  territory,  after  Ave  passed  the 
summit.  I  Avill  have  to  catch  somebody  going  through  to 
Dyea  to  give  him  this  letter,  but  I  don't  know  how  long 
before  I  can  get  any  one  going  through.  This  is  the  last 
you  will  hear  from  mo  until  I  get  down  to  the  Klon- 
dyke." 

Mr.  Stewart  adds  :  **  I  wrote  this  in  the  tent  at  11  o'clock 
at  night  during  twilight." 

If  you  take  this  trip  in  winter,  however,  you  have  to  pur- 
chase a  sled  at  Juneau-,  and  sled  ic  over  the  frozen  water- 
ways to  Dawson  City.- 

Foi  the  benefit  of  my  readers  in  Canada  and  for  parties 
leaving  for  the  great  Northwest  Territory  for  the  gold  fields^ 
I  take  pleasure  in  quoting  the  following  description  of  a 
Canadian  route  : — 


**  Canadians  should  awaken  to  the  fact  that  they  have 
emphatically  *  the  inside  track '  to  their  own  gold  fields, 
a  route  not  half  the  distance,  largely  covered  by  railways 
and  steamboats,  with  supply  stations  at  convenient  inter- 
vals aU.  the  way.  T^y  thih:  route  the  gold-fields  can  be 
reached  in  two  montlis  or  six  weeks,  and  the  cost  of  travel 
is  ridiculously  cheap — nearly  an}  body  can  afford  to  go  even 
now,  and  by  the  s})ring  it  should  be  fitted  out  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  any  amount  of  traffic. 

The  details  of  the  information  in  tlio  following  article 
are  given  by  Mr.  A.  11.  11.  Ilcming,  the  artist   who  ac- 


— I^WH£^fl»8H^^«^ 


28 


KLONLYKE  FACTS. 


companied  Mr.  Whitney  in  his  journey  towards  the  Barren 
Lands,  and  the  data  may  be  accepted  as  correct,  as  tliey 
were  secured  from  the  Hudson  Bay  officials. 

The  details  of  the  inland  Canadian  route,  briefly,  are  as 
follows  :  By  C.  P.  R.  to  Calgary,  and  thence  north  by 
rail  to  Edmonton  ;  from  there  by  stage  Lo  A thaV-sc.'  Lnnd- 
ing,  40  miles  ;  then,  there  is  a  continucus  :  (♦'  ■  y  for 
canoe  travel  to  Fort  Macpherson,  at  the  ni  nu).  of  the 
Mackenzie  River,  from  Avhich  point  the  Peel   River  lies 


southward  to  the  gold  region, 
follows  : 


Tlie  exact  figures  arc  as 


MILES. 

Edmonton  to  Athabasca  Landing 40 

To  Fort  Mc. Murray 240 

Fort  Chippewyan 1 85 

Smith    Landing 102 

Fort  Smith 10 

Fort  Resolution   l!)4   • 

Fort  Providence 1G8 

Fort  Simpson 1(11 

Fort  Wrigley iOu 

Fort  Xorman  184 

Fort  Good  Hope 174 

Fort  Macpherson 'ZS'Z 


Total. 


188a 


There  are  only  two  portages  on  this  route  of  any  s-v'-i — 
that  from  Edmonton  to  Athabasca  Landing,  over  ^hi.li 
there  is  a  stage  and  wagon  lino,  and  at  Smith  Landings  ■  ■..' 
teen  miles,  over  whicii  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  has  a  tram- 
way. Tlierf^  are  four  or  live  oflur  })<:>: t ages  of  a  few  hun- 
dred yards,  but  with  these  exc<  [)tions  ^h_  ■:■■  is  a  fine  '*  down 
grade"  water  route  all  the  ,vay.  (I  is  the  old  Hudson 
Bay  trunk  line  to  the  north  that  has  ucrn  in  use  for  nearly 


ELONBYEE  FACTS. 


2d 


I 


a  century.  Wherever  there  is  a  lake  or  a  long  stretch  of 
deep  water  river  navigation  the  company  has  small  freight 
steamers  which  ply  back  and  forward  during  the  summer 
between  the  portago  points  or  shallows.  With  compara- 
tively little  expenditure  the  company  or  the  Government 
can  improve  the  facilities  along  the  line  so  that  any  amount 
of  freight  or  any  number  of  passengers  can  be  taken  into 
the  gold  region  at  less  than  half  the  time  and  cost  that  it 
takes  Americans  to  reach  it  from  Port  St.  Michael,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon  to  the  Klondyke,  exclusive  of  the 
steamer  trip  of  2500  miles  from  Seattle  to  Port  St. 
Michael. 

Canadians  can  leave  here  on  x  Monday  at  11.15  a.m., 
and  reach  Edmonton  on  Friday  at  7  p.m.  From  that 
point,  a  party  of  three  men  with  a  canoe,  should  reach  Fort 
Macpherson  easily  in  from  50  to  GO  days,  jirovided  they 
are  able-bodied  young  fellows  with  experience  in  that  sort 
of  travel.  They  will  need  to  take  ca'.ioes  from  here,  unless 
they  propose  to  hire  Indians  with  large  bireli  bark  canoes 
to  carry  them.  Birch  bark  canoes  can  be  secured  of  any 
size  up  to  the  big  ones  manned  by  ten  Indians  that  carry 
three  tons.  But  birch  barks  are  not  reliable  unless  Indians 
are  taken  along  to  doctor  them,  and  keep  them  from  get- 
ting water-logged.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company  will  also 
contract  to  take  freight  northward  on  their  steamers  until 
the  close  of  navigation.  Travellers  to  the  gold  mines 
leaving  now  would  probably  reach  Fort  Macpherson  before 
navigation  closed. 

The  letter  from  Rev.  Mr.  Stringer,  the  missionary,  pub- 
lished in  the  Spectator  on  July  2,  shows  that  the  ice  had 
only  commenced  to  run  in  the  Peel  River,  wliich  is  the 
water  route  south-east  from  Fort  Macpherson  into  the  gold 
region,  on  September  30  last  year. 

Any  Canadians  who  are  anxious  to  get  into  tlio  Klon- 
dyke ahead  of  the  Americans  can  leave  between  now  and 


0 


30 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


August  1,  reach  Fort  Macpherson,  and  if  winter  comes  on 
they  can  exchange  their  canoes  for  dog  trains,  and  reach 
the  Klondyke  without  half  the  difficulty  that  would  be 
experienced  on  the  Alaska  route.  The  great  advantage  of 
inland  route  is  that  it  is  an  organized  line  of  communi- 
c,  lon.  Travellers  need  not  carry  any  more  food  than 
will  take  them  from  one  Hudson  Buy  post  to  the  next,  and 
then  there  is  abundance  of  fish  and  wild  fowl  en  route. 
They  can  also  be  in  touch  with  such  civilization  as  prevails 
up  there,  can  always  get  assistance  at  the  posts,  and  will 
have  some  place  to  stay  should  they  fall  sick  or  meet  with 
an  accident.  If  they  are  lucky  enough  to  make  their  pile 
in  the  Klondyke,  they  can  come  back  by  the  dog  sled 
route  during  the  winter.  (There  is  one  winter  mail  to 
Fort  Macpherson  in  Avinter.)  Dogs  for  teams  can  be  pur- 
chased at  nearly  any  of  the  line  of  Hudson  Bay  posts  that 
form  a  chain  of  road-houses  on  the  trip. 

Parties  travelling  alone  will  not  need  to  employ  guides 
until  they  get  near  Fort  Macpherson,  and  from  there  on 
to  the  Klondyke,  as  the  rest  of  tlie  route  from  Edmonton 
is  so  ■well  defined,  having  been  travelled  for  years,  that  no 
guides  are  required. 

You  don't  need  a  couple  of  thousand  dollars  to  start  for 
Klondyke  to-morrow  by  the  Edmonton  route.  All  you 
need  is  a  good  constitution,  some  experience  in  boating 
and  camping,  and  about  $150.  Suppose  a  party  of  three 
decide  to  start.  First  they  will  need  to  purchase  a  canoe, 
about  $35  or  less  ;  first-class  ticket  from  Hamilton  to  Ed- 
monton, $71.40  ;  second  class,  ditto,  $40.90  ;  cost  of  food 
at  Edmonton  for  three  men  for  two  months  (should  consist 
of  pork,  flour,  tea  and  baking-powder),  $35  ;  freight  on 
canoe  to  Edmonton,  $::33.  Total  for  tln-ee  men  from  Ham- 
ilton to  Fort  Macpherson,  provided  they  travel  second- 
class  on  the  C.  P.  R.  will  bo  $218.70.  These  figures  are 
furnished  by  ^Ir.  lleming,  who  has  been  over  the  route 


< 

0 


o 
w 
o 


>■ 
O 

a 

o 


( 


KLONhtKE  FACTS. 


31 


400  miles  north  of  Edmonton,  and  got  the  rest  of  his  data 
from  the  Hudson  Bay  officials. 

If  three  men  chip  in  $150  each  they  would  have  a  mar- 
gin of  over  $200  for  purchasing  their  tools  and  for  trans- 
port from  Fort  Macpherson  to  the  Klondyke.  This  is  how 
it  may  be  done  on  the  cheap,  though  Mr.  Ileming  con- 
siders it  ample  for  any  party  starting  this  summer.  Prices 
will  likely  rise  on  the  route  when  the  rush  begins.  If  the 
Hudson  Bay  people  are  alive  to  their  interests  they  will 
forward  a  large  amount  of  supplies  for  Fort  Macpherson 
immediately  and  make  it  the  base  of  supplies  for  the  Klon- 
dyke during  the  coming  winter. 

Parties  should  consist  of  three  men  each,  as  that  is  the 
crew  of  a  canoe.  It  will  take  GOO  pounds  of  food  to  carry 
three  men  over  the  route.  Passengers  on  the  C.  P.  E. 
are  entitled  to  carry  GOO  pounds  of  baggage.  The  paddling 
is  all  down  stream,  except  when  they  turn  south  up  Peel 
Kiver,  and  sails  should  be  taken,  as  there  is  often  a  favor- 
able wind  for  days. 

There  are  large  scows  on  the  line,  manned  by  ten  men 
each  and  known  as  '  sturgeon  heads.  ^  They  are  like 
canal  boats,  but  are  j)unted  along  and  are  used  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  people  for  taking  forward  supplies  to  the 
forts. 

The  return  trip  to  the  United  States  is  usually  made 
by  the  Yukon  steamers  from  Dawson  City  direct  to  St. 
Michael  via  the  Yukon  and  Anvik  River,  then^x.  by  ocean 
steamer  from  St.  Michael  to  San  Francisco." 

The  following  letter  is  interesting  to  the  prospector  as 
showing  the  difficulties  to  overcome  up  the  Taiya  Pass  to 
Lake  Lindeman. 

Winnipeg,  July  27,  1897. 
A  letter  has  been  received  from  George  McLeOd,  one  of 
the  members  of  the  Winnipeg  party  of  gold  hunters  that 


a 


1 1 


,  (1 


32 


IZLONDYKE  FACTS. 


left  here  recently  for  the  Yukon.  lie  wrote  from  Lake 
Lindeman  under  date  of  July  4,  and  states  that  the  party 
expected  to  leave  on  the  journey  from  the  river  a  week 
later.  They  had  a  fine  boat,  with  a  freight  capacity  of 
two  tons  about  completed.  The  real  Avork  of  tlic  expedi- 
tion started  when  the  small  steamer  which  conveyed  the 
party  from  Juneau  arrived  at  Dyea.  Tlie  men  had  to 
transfer  their  goods  to  a  lighter  one  mile  from  shore,  each 
man  looking  after  his  own  packages.  After  getting  every- 
thing ashore  the  party  was  orgajiized  for  ascent  of  the 
mountain  pass,  which  at  the  hardest  point  is  3,000  feet 
above  sea  level.  McLeod  and  his  chum,  to  save  time  and 
money  too,  engaged  35  Indians  to  pack  their  supplies 
over  the  mountains,  but  they  had  to  carry  their  own  bed- 
ding and  grub  to  keep  them  on  the  road.  It  is  fifteen 
miles  to  the  summit  of  the  pass  and  the  party  made  twelve 
miles  the  first  day,  going  into  camp  at  night  tired  from 
climbing  over  rocks,  stumps,  logs  and  hills,  working 
through  rivers  and  creeks  and  pushing  their  way  througli 
brush.  At  the  end  of  twelve  miles  they  thought  they  had 
gone  fifty.  On  the  second  day  out  they  began  to  scale  tlie 
summit  of  the  mountain.  Hill  after  hill  confronted  them, 
each  one  being  steeper  than  the  last.  There  was  snow  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  rain  was  falling,  and  this  added 
greatly  to  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent.  In  many  places 
the  men  had  to  crawl  on  their  hands  and  knees,  so  pre- 
cipitous was  the  mountain  side.  Time  after  time  the  men 
would  slip  back  several  inches,  but  they  recovered  them- 
selves and  went  at  it  again. 

Finally,  the  summit  was  gained,  McLeod  being  the  first 
of  the  party  to  reach  the  top.  After  resting  and  chang- 
ing their  clothes  the  descent  was  commenced.  ^McLeod 
and  his  chums  purchased  sleighs,  on  which  they  loaded 
their  goods  and  hauled  for  five  miles.  This  was  extremely 
laborious  work,  and  the  men  were  ^'  >  used  up  working  in 


KLONDTKE  FACTS.  8d 

the  scorching  sun  that  they  were  compelled  to  work  at 
nights  and  sleep  during  tlie  day.  Two  days  after  the  de- 
scent began  the  sleighs  were  abandoned,  and  the  men 
packed  the  goods  for  three  miles  and  a  half.  They  Avere 
fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of  a  man  who  had  two 
horses  to  convey  the  goods  to  Lake  Lindeman. 

McLeod  says  the  worry  in  getting  over  the  pass  is  terri- 
ble, and  he  has  no  desire  to  repeat  the  experience.  He 
advises  all  who  go  in  to  have  their  goods  packed  all  the 
way  from  Dyea  to  Lake  Lindeman.  It  costs  17  or  18 
cents  per  pound  for  packing. 

McLeod  expected  that  Klondyke  would  not  be  reached 
before  July  25. 

I  think  it  specially  valuable  for  the  reader  to  give  him 
the  approximate  distances  to  Fort  Cudahy,  which  is  below 
Dawson  City  via  the  various  routes. 

This  table  of  distances  has  been  prepared  by  Mr.  James 
Ogilvie,  and  I  also  give  a  number  of  his  notes  which  will 
be  of  great  value  to  the  traveller  Avhen  making  the  trip 
from  Juneau  to  Dawson  City. 

APPROXIMATE  DISTANCES  TO  FORT  CUDAHY. 

VIA  ST.   MICHAEL. 

Mites. 

San  Francisco  to  Dutch  Harbor 2,400 

Seattle  or  Victoria  to  Dutch  Harbor 2,000 

Dutch  Harbor  to  St.  Micliael 750 

St.  Michael  to  Cudahy. 1,600 

VIA  TAIYA  PASS. 

Victoria  to  Taiya 1,000 

Taiya  to  Cudahy 050 

VIA  STIKINE  RIVER. 

Victoria  to  Wrangell 750 

Wrangell  to  Telegraph  Creek 150 

Telegraph  Creek  to  Teslin  Lake 150 

Teslin  Lake  to  Cudahv 650 

3 


84  KLONDYEE  FACTS. 

DISTANCES  FROM  HEAD  OP  TAIYA    INLET. 

Miles. 

Head  of  canoe  navigation,  Taiya  River 5*90 

Forks  of  Taiya  River 8-38 

Summit  of  Taiya  Pass 14'76 

Landing  at  Lake  Lindeman 23"06 

Foot  of  Lake  Lindeman 27*49 

Head  of  Lake  Bennet 2809 

Boundary  line  B.  C.  and  N.  W.  T.  (Lat  60°) "809 

Foot  of  Lake  Bennet 53-85 

Foot  of  Caribou  Crossing  (Lake  Nares) 50  "44 

Foot  of  Tagish  Lake 73-25 

Head  of  Marsh  Lake 78-15 

Foot  of  THarsh  Lake 97-21 

Head  of  Miles  Canon 122-94 

Foot  of  Miles  Canon 123-56 

Head  of  White  Horse  Rapids 124-95 

Foot  of  White  Horse  Rapids 125-33 

Tahkeena  River 139-92 

Head  of  Lake  Labarge 15307 

Foot  of  Lake  Labarge 184-22 

Teslintoo  River 215-88 

Big  Salmon  River 24933 

Little  Salmon  River 285-54 

Five  Finger  Rapids 34483 

Pelly  River 403.29 

White  River 499-11 

Stewart  River. 508-91 

Sixty-Mile  Creek 530*41 

Dawson  City— The  Principal  Mining  Town 575*70 

Fort  Reliance 582*20 

Forty-Mile  River 627*08 

Boundary  Line 667*43 


"  Another  route  is  noAV  being  explored  between  Telegraph 
Creek  and  Teslin  Lake  and  will  soon  be  opened.  Telegraph 
Creek  is  the  head  of  steamer  navigation  on  the  Stikine 
River  and  is  about  150  miles  from  Teslin  Lake.  The 
Viikon  is  navigable  for  steamers  from  its  mouth  to  Teslin 
Lake,  a  distance  of  2,300  miles.     A  road  is  being  located 


KLONbYKE  FACTS. 


86 


by  the  Dominion  Government.  A  grant  of  $2,000  has 
been  made  by  the  province  of  British  Columbia  for  open- 
ing it. 

"  J.  Dalton,  a  trader,  has  used  a  route  overland  from 
Chilkat  Inlet  to  Fort  Selkirk.  Going  up  the  Chilkat  and 
Klaheela  Rivers,  he  crosses  the  di,ide  to  the  Tahkeenu 
River  and  continues  northward  over  a  fairly  open  country 
practicable  for  horses.  The  distance  from  the  sea  to  Fort 
Selkirk  is  350  miles. 

"  Last  summer  a  Juneau  butcher  sent  40  head  of  cattle  to 
Cudahy.  G.  Bounds,  the  man  in  charge,  crossed  the  di- 
vide over  the  Chilkat  Pass,  followed  the  shore  of  Lake  Ar- 
kell  and,  keeping  to  the  east  of  Dalton's  trail,  readied  the 
Yukon  just  below  the  Rink  Rapids.  Here  the  cattle  were 
slaughtered  and  the  meat  floated  down  on  a  raft  to  Cudahy, 
where  it  retailed  at  II  a  pound. 

*'  It  is  proposed  to  establish  a  winter  road  somewhere  across 
the  country  travelled  over  by  Dalton  and  Bounds.  The 
Yukon  cannot  be  followed,  the  ice  being  too  much  broken, 
so  that  any  winter  road  will  have  to  be  overland.  A 
thorough  exploration  is  now  being  made  of  all  the  passes 
at  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  and  of  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Yukon.  In  a  few  months  it  is  expectel  :  bi:,t  the  best  routes 
for  reaching  the  district  from  Lynn  Canal  will  be  definitely 
known. 

"  It  is  said  by  those  familiar  with  the  locality  that  the 
storms  which  rage  in  the  upper  dtitudes  of  the  coast  range 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  from  October  to  March, 
are  terrific.  A  man  caught  in  one  of  them  runs  the  risk 
of  losing  his  life,  unless  he  can  reach  shelter  in  a  short 
time.  During  the  summer  there  is  nearly  always  a  wind 
blowing  from  the  sea  up  Chatham  Strait  and  Lynn  Canal, 
which  lie  in  almost  a  straight  line  with  each  other,  and 
at  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  are  Chilkat  and  Chilkoot  Inlets. 
The  distance  from  the  coast  down  these  channels  to  the 


T7F" 


80 


KLoybriiE  FACTS. 


open  sea  is  about  380  miles.  The  mountains  on  each  side 
of  the  water  confine  the  currents  of  air,  and  dellect  inclined 
currents  in  the  direction  of  the  axis  of  the  channel,  so 
that  th.'ro  is  nearly  always  a  strong  wind  blowing  up  the 
channel.  Coming  from  the  sea,  this  Avind  is  heavily 
charged  with  moisture,  which  is  precipitated  when  the  air 
currents  strike  the  mountains,  and  the  fall  of  rain  and  snow 
is  consequently  very  heavy. 

"  In  Chilkat  Inlet  there  is  not  much  shelter  fi-om  the 
south  wind,  which  renders  it  unsafe  for  shi  >alling 
there.      Capt.  Hunter  told  me  he  would  rathe  .  any 

other  part  of  the  coast  than  Chilkat. 

**To  carry  the  survey  from  the  island  across  to  Chilkoot 
Inlet  I  had  to  get  up  on  the  mountains  north  of  Haines 
mission,  and  from  there  could  see  both  inlets.  Owing  to 
the  bad  weather  I  could  get  no  observation  for  azimuth, 
and  had  to  produce  the  survey  from  Pyramid  Island  to 
Taiya  Inlet  by  reading  the  angles  of  deflection  between  the 
courses.  At  Taiya  Inlet  I  got  my  first  observation,  and 
deduced  the  azimuths  of  my  courses  up  to  that  point. 
Taiya  Inlet  has  evidently  been  the  valley  of  a  glacier  ;  its 
sides  are  steep  and  smooth  from  glacial  action  ;  and  this, 
with  the  wind  almost  constantly  blowing  landward,  renders 
getting  upon  the  shore  difficult.  Some  long  sights  were 
therefore  necessary.  The  survey  was  made  up  to  the  head 
of  the  Inlet  on  the  2d  of  June.  Preparations  were  then 
commenced  for  taking  the  supplies  and  instruments  over 
the  coast  range  of  mountains  to  the  head  of  Lake  Linde- 
man  on  the  Lewes  River.  Commander  Newell  kindly 
aided  me  in  making  arrangements  with  the  Indians,  and 
did  all  he  could  to  induce  them  to  be  reasonable  in  their 
demands.  This,  however,  neither  he  nor  any  one  else 
could  accomplish.  They  refused  to  carry  to  the  lake  for 
less  than  $20  per  hundred  pounds,  and  as  they  had  learned 
that  the  expedition  was  an  English  one,  the  second  chief 


1  H  -It  ^ 

ill 


TUK  BOUNDAltr   LINE   BETWEEN    AEA8KA    AND   NOUTHWEIST  TERIIITORIES 
SHOWINQ  OVERLAND  TRIP  TO  DAWSON  CITY  PliOM  LAKE  RENNET 


:i 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


wr 


of  the  Chilkoot  Indians  recalled  some  memories  of  an  old 
quarrel  which  the  tribe  had  with  the  English  many  years 
ago,  in  which  an  uncie  of  his  was  killed,  and  he  thought 
we  should  pay  for  the  loss  of  his  uncio  by  being  charged  an 
exorbitant  price  for  our  packing,  of  which  he  had  the  sole 
control.  Commander  Newell  told  him  I  had  a  permit  from 
the  Great  Father  at  Washington  to  pass  through  his  coun- 
try safely,  that  he  would  see  that  I  did  so,  and  if  the  In- 
dians interfered  with  me  they  would  be  punished  for  doing 
so.  After  much  talk  they  consented  to  carry  our  stuff  to 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  for  $10  per  hundred  pounds. 
This  is  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole  distance,  includes 
all  the  climbing  and  all  the  woods,  and  is  by  far  the  most 
difficult  part  of  the  way. 

''  On  the  6th  of  June  120  Indians,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, started  for  the  summit.  I  sent  two  of  my  party  with 
them  to  see  the  goods  delivered  at  the  place  agreed  upon. 
Each  carrier  when  given  a  pack  also  got  a  ticket,  on  which 
was  inscribed  the  contents  of  the  pack,  its  weight,  and  the 
amount  the  individual  was  to  get  for  carrying  it.  They 
were  made  to  understand  that  they  had  to  produce  these 
tickets  on  delivering  their  packs,  but  were  not  told  for 
what  reason.  As  each  pa  k  was  delivered  one  of  my  men 
receipted  the  ticket  and  eturned  it.  The  Indians  did  not 
seem  to  understand  the  import  of  this  ;  a  few  of  them  pre- 
tended to  have  lost  their  tickets  ;  and  as  they  could  not 
get  paid  without  them,  my  assistant,  who  had  dupli'^"^^*' 
of  every  ticket,  furnislied  them  with  receipted  copies, 
after  examining  their  packs. 

"  While  they  were  packing  to  the  summit  I  was  producing 
the  survey,  and  I  met  ti.em  on  their  r  ,turn  at  the  foot  of 
the  caflon,  about  eight  miles  from  the  coast,  where  I  paid 
them.  They  came  to  the  camp  in  the  early  morning  before 
I  was  up,  and  for  about  two  hours  there  was  quite  a  hub- 
bub.    When  paying  them  I  tried  to  get  their  names,  but 


•111 


m 


w 


i 


88 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


very  few  of  them  would  give  any  Indian  name,  nearly  all, 
after  a  little  reflection,  giving  some  common  English  name. 
My  list  contained  little  else  than  Jack,  Tom,  Joe,  Charlie, 
&c,  some  of  which  were  duplicated  three  and  four  times. 
I  then  found  Avhy  some  of  them  had  pretended  to  lose 
their  tickets  at  the  summit.  Three  or  four  who  had  thus 
acted  presented  themselves  twice  for  payment,  producing 
first  the  receipted  ticket,  afterwards  the  one  they  claimed 
to  have  lost,  demanding  pay  for  both.  They  were  much 
taken  aback  when  they  found  that  their  duplicity  had 
been  discovered. 

"  These  Indians  are  perfectly  heartless.  They  will  not 
render  even  tha  smallest  aid  to  each  other  without  pay- 
ment ;  and  if  not  to  each  other,  much  less  to  a  white  man. 
I  got  one  of  them,  whom  I  had  previously  assisted  with 
his  pack,  to  take  me  and  two  of  my  party  over  a  small 
creek  in  his  canoe.  After  putting  us  across  he  asked  for 
money,  and  I  gave  him  half  a  dollar.  Another  man 
stepped  up  and  demanded  pay,  stating  that  the  canoe  was 
his.  To  see  what  the  result  would  be,  I  gave  to  him  the 
same  amount  as  to  the  first.  Inmiediately  there  were  three 
or  four  more  clainuints  for  the  canoe.  I  dismissed  them 
with  a  blessing,  and  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  Avade 
the  next  creek. 

"  While  paying  them  I  was  a  little  apprehensive  of  trouble, 
for  they  insisted  on  crowding  iito  my  tent,  and  for  my- 
self and  the  four  men  who  were  with  me  to  have  attempted 
to  eject  them  would  have  been  to  invite  trouble.  I  am 
strongly  of  the  opinion  that  these  Indians  would  have  been 
much  more  diflicult  to  deal  with  if  they  had  not  known 
that  Commander  Newell  remained  in  the  inlet  to  see  that 
I  got  through  without  accident. 

"  While  making  the  survey  from  the  head  of  tide  water  I 
took  the  azimuths  and  altitudes  of  several  of  the  highest 
peaks  around  the  head  of  the  inlet,  in  order  to  locate 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


m 


them,  and  obtain  an  idea  of  the  general  height  of  the 
peaks  in  the  coast  range.  As  it  doss  not  appear  to  liave 
been  done  before,  I  have  taken  the  opportunity  of  naming 
all  the  peaks,  the  positions  of  wliich  I  fixed  in  the  above 
way.     Tlie  names  and  altitudes  apjiear  on  my  map. 

"  "While  going  up  from  the  head  of  canoe  navigation  on 
the  Taiya  River  I  took  the  angles  of  elevation  of  each 
station  from  the  preceding  one.  I  would  have  done  chis 
from  tidewater  up,  but  found  many  of  the  courses  so  short 
and  with  so  little  increase  in  h sight  that  with  the  instru- 
ment I  had  it  was  inappreciable.  From  these  angles  I 
have  computed  the  height  of  the  summit  of  the  Taiya 
Pass,*  above  the  head  of  canoe  navigation,  as  it  appeared 
to  me  in  June,  1887,  and  find  it  to  be  3.378  feet.  V/hat 
depth  of  snow  there  wiv  T  cannot  say.  The  head  of  canoe 
navigation  I  estimate,  Kout  120  feet  above  tidewater. 
Dr.  Dawson  gives  it  as  l'^4  fwt. 

"I  determined  the  descent  fi  ;m  the  summit  to  Lake 
Lindeman  by  carrying  the  aneroid  from  the  Like  to  the 
summit  and  back  again,  the  interval  of  time  from  start  to 
return  being  about  eight  hours.  Taking  the  mean  of  the 
readings  at  the  lake,  start  and  return,  and  the  single  read- 
ing at  Mie  summit,  the  height  of  the  summit  above  the  lake 
was  fdund  to  be  1,"^37  feet.  While  making  the  survey 
from  the  summit  down  to  the  lake  I  took  tli''  '  Jes  of  de- 
pression of  each  station  from  tlie  preceding  one,  and  from 
these  angles  I  deduced  the  difference  of  height,  which  I 
found  to  be  1,354  feet,  or  117  feet  more  than  that  found 


m 


i'':^i! 


*  The  distance  from  the  head  of  Taiya  Inlet  to  the  summit  of 
the  pass  is  15  miles,  and  the  whole  length  of  the  pass  to  Lake 
Lindeman  is  23  miles.  Messrs.  Heiily  and  Wilson,  dealers  in 
general  nif-'^handiae  and  miners'  supplies  at  Taiya,  have  a  train 
of  pajk  horses  carrying  freight  from  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  to 
the  summit.  They  hope  to  be  able  to  take  freight  through  to 
Lake  Lindeman  with  their  horses  during  the  present  season. 


IT 


! 


40 


KLONLYKE  FACTS. 


by  the  aneroid.  This  is  quite  a  large  difference  ;  but 
when  we  consider  the  altitude  of  the  place,  the  sudden 
changes  of  temperature,  and  the  atmospheric  conditions, 
it  is  not  more  than  one  might  expect. 

"  While  at  Juneau  I  heard  reports  of  a  low  pass  from  the 
head  of  Chilkoot  Inlet  to  the  head  waters  of  Lev/es  River. 
During  the  time  I  was  at  the  head  of  Taiya  Inlet  1  made 
inquiries  regarding  it,  and  found  that  there  was  such  a 
pass,  but  could  learn  nothing  6  ofinite  about  it  from  either 
whites  or  Indians.  As  Capt.  Moore,  who  accompanied, 
me,  was  very  anxious  to  go  through  it,  and  as  the  reports. 
of  the  Taiya  Pass  indicated  that  no  wagon  road  or  railroad 
could  ever  be  built  through  it,  while  the  new  pass  appeared, 
from  what  little  knowledge  I  could  get  of  it,  to  be  much 
lower  and  possibly  feasible  for  a  wagon  road,  I  determined 
to  send  the  captain  by  that  way,  if  I  could  get  an  Indian 
to  accompany  him.  This,  I  found,  would  be  difficult  to 
do.  None  of  the  Chilkoots  appeared  to  know  anything  of 
the  pass,  and  I  concluded  that  they  wished  to  keep  its 
existence  and  condition  a  secret.  The  Tagish,  or  Stick 
Indians,  as  the  interior  Indians  are  locally  called,  are  afraid 
to  do  anything  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  the  Chilkoots  ; 
so  it  was  difficult  to  get  any  of  them  to  join  Capt.  Moore  ; 
but  after  much  talk  and  encouragement  from  the  whites 
around,  one  of  them  named  'Jim''  was  induced  to  go. 
He  had  been  through  this  pass  before,  and  proved  reliable 
and  useful.  The  information  obtained  from  Capt.  Moore's 
exploration  I  have  incorporated  in  my  plan  of  the  survey 
from  Taiya  Inlet,  but  it  is  not  as  complete  as  I  would 
have  liked.  I  have  named  his  pass  'MVhite  Pass,"  in 
honor  of  the  late  Hon.  Thos.  White,  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  under  whose  authority  the  expedition  was  organ- 
ized. Commencing  at  Taiya  Inlet,  about  two  miles  south, 
of  its  north  end,  it  follows  up  the  valley  of  the  Shkagway 
River  to  its  source,  and  thence  down  the  valley  of  aiiuther 


III 


1 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


41 


river  which  Capt.  Moore  reported  to  empty  into  the  Takone 
or  Windy  Arm  of  Bove  Lake  (Schwatka).  Dr.  Dawson 
says  this  stream  empties  into  Taku  Arm,  and  in  that 
event  Capt.  Moore  is  mistaken.  Capt.  Moore  did  not  go 
all  the  way  through  to  the  lake,  but  assumed  from  reports 
he  heard  from  the  miners  and  others  tha,t  the  stream  flowed 
into  "Windy  Arm,  and  this  also  was  the  idea  of  the  Indian 
*' Jim"  from  what  I  could  gather  from  his  remarks  in 
broken  English  and  Chinook.  Capt.  Moore  estimates  the 
distance  from  tide  water  to  the  summit  at  about  18  miles, 
and  from  the  summit  to  the  lake  at  about  32  to  23  miles. 
He  reports  the  pass  as  thickly  timbered  all  the  way  through. 

"  The  timber  line  on  the  south  side  of  the  Taiya  Pass,  as 
determined  by  barometer  reading,  is  about  2,300  feet 
above  the  sea,  while  on  the  north  side  it  is  about  1,000  feet 
below  the  summit.  This  large  difference  is  due,  I  think, 
to  the  different  conditions  in  the  two  places.  On  the 
south  side  the  valley  is  narrow  and  deep,  and  the  sun  can- 
not produce  its  full  effect.  The  snow  also  is  much  deeper 
there,  owing  to  the  quantity  Avhich  drifts  in  iVom  the  sur- 
rounding mountains.  On  the  north  side  the  surface  is 
sloping,  and  more  expose  '  to  the  sun's  rays.  On  the  south 
side  the  timber  is  of  the  class  peculiar  to  the  coast,  and 
on  the  north  chat  peculiar  to  the  interior.  The  latter 
would  grow  at  a  greater  altitude  than  the  coast  timber. 
It  is  possible  that  the  summit  of  White  Pass  is  not  higher 
than  the  timber  line  on  the  north  of  the  Taiya  Pass, 
or  about  2,500  feet  above  tide  water,  and  it  is  possibly 
even  lower  than  this,  as  the  timber  in  a  valley  such  as  the 
White  Pass  would  hardly  live  at  the  same  altitude  as  on 
the  open  slope  on  the  north  side. 

"  Capt.  Moore  has  had  considerable  experience  in  building 
roads  in  mountainous  countries.  He  considers  that  this 
would  be  an  easy  route  for  a  wagon  road  compared  with 
somo  roads  he  has  seen  in  British  Columbia.     Assuming 


f  ■  jl 


m 


"(11.1 


nm 


11 


42 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


■:\\ 


his  distances  to  be  correct,  and  the  height  of  the  pass  to  be 
probably  about  correctly  indicated,  the  grades  would  not 
be  very  steep,  and  a  railroad  could  easily  be  carried  through 
if  necessary. 

"  After  completing  the  survey  down  to  the  lake,  I  set 
about  getting  my  baggage  down  too.  Of  all  the  Indians 
who  came  to  the  summit  Avith  packs,  only  four  or  five  could 
be  induced  to  remain  and  pack  down  to  the  lake,  although 
I  was  paying  them  at  the  rate  of  $4  per  hundred  pounds. 
After  one  trip  down  only  two  men  remained,  and  they  only 
in  hopes  of  stealing  something.  One  of  them  appropriated 
a  pair  of  boots,  and  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  he 
had  to  pay  for  them  on  being  settled  with.  I  could  not 
blame  them  much  for  not  caring  to  work,  as  the  weather 
was  very  disagreeable — it  rained  or  snowed  almost  continu- 
ously. After  the  Indians  left  I  tried  to  get  down  the  stuff 
with  the  aid  of  my  OAvn  men,  but  it  was  slavish  and  un- 
healthy labor,  and  after  the  first  trip  one  of  them  was 
laid  up  with  what  appeared  to  be  inflammatory  rheumatism. 
The  first  time  the  party  crossed,  the  sun  was  sliining 
brightly,  and  this  brought  on  snow  blindness,  the  pain  of 
which  only  those  who  have  suffered  from  this  complaint 
can  realize.  I  had  two  sleds  Avith  me  which  were  made  in 
Juneau  specially  for  the  work  of  getting  over  the  mount- 
ains and  down  the  lakes  on  the  ice.  With  these  I  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  about  a  ton  and  a-half  to  the  lakes,  but 
found  that  the  time  it  would  take  to  get  all  down  in  this 
Avay  would  seriously  interfere  with  the  programme  arranged 
with  Dr.  Dawson,  to  say  nothing  of  the  suffering  of  the 
men  and  myself,  and  the  liability  to  sickness  which  pro- 
tracted physical  exertion  under  such  uncomfortable  con- 
ditions and  continued  suffering  from  snow  blindness  ex- 
pose us  to.  I  had  Avith  me  a  Avhite  man  Avho  lived  at  the 
head  of  the  inlet  Avith  a  Tagish  Indian  woman.  This  man 
had  a  good  deal  of  influence  with  the  Tagish  tribe,  of 


' 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


43 


whom  tlie  greater  number  were  then  in  the  neighborhood 
where  he  resided,  trying  to  get  some  odd  jobs  of  work, 
and  I  sent  him  to  the  head  of  tlie  inlet  to  try  and  induce 
the  Tagish  Indians  to  undertake  the  transportation,  offer- 
ing them  15  per  hundred  pounds.  In  the  meantime  Capt. 
Moore  and  the  Indian  "Jim"  had  rejoined  me.  I  had 
their  assistance  for  a  day  or  two,  and  **  Jim's"  presence 
aided  indirectly  in  inducing  the  Indians  to  come  to  my 
relief. 

"  The  Tagish  are  little  more  than  slaves  to  the  more  power- 
ful coast  tribes,  and  are  in  constant  dread  of  offending 
them  in  any  way.  One  of  the  privileges  which  the  coast 
tribes  claim  is  the  exclusive  right  to  all  work  on  the  coast 
or  in  its  vicinity,  and  the  Tagish  are  afraid  to  dispute  this 
claim.  AVhcn  my  white  man  asked  the  Tagish  to  come 
over  and  pack  they  objected  on  the  grounds  mentioned. 
After  considerable  ridicule  of  their  cowardice,  and  explana- 
tion of  the  fact  that  they  had  the  exclusive  right  to  all 
work  in  their  own  country,  the  country  on  the  side  of  the 
north  side  of  the  coast  range  being  admitted  by  the  coast 
Indians  to  belong  to  the  Tagish  tribe  just  as  the  coast 
tribes  had  the  privilege  of  doing  all  the  work  on  the 
coast  side  of  the  mountains,  and  that  one  of  their  num- 
ber was  already  working  with  me  unmolested,  and  likely 
to  continue  so,  nine  of  them  came  over,  and  in  fear 
and  trembling  began  to  pack  down  to  the  lake.  After 
they  were  at  work  for  a  few  days  some  of  the  Chilkoots 
came  out  and  also  started  to  work.  Soon  I  had  quite  a 
number  at  work  and  was  getting  my  stuff  down  quite  fast. 
But  this  good  fortune  was  not  to  continue.  Owing  to  the 
prevailing  wet,  cold  weather  on  the  mountains,  and  the 
difficulty  of  getting  through  the  soft  wet  snow,  the  Indians 
soon  l)cgan  to  cjuit  work  for  a  day  or  two  at  a  time,  and  to 
gamble  witli  one  another  for  the  wages  already  earned. 
Many  of  them  wanted  to  be  paid  in  full,  but  this  I  posi- 


i    i;1 

M 

i!^      !:!;• 


m 


11 


rw 


4i 


KLONDYEE  FACTS. 


II 


tively  refused,  knowing  that  to  do  so  was  to  have  them  all 
apply  for  their  earnings  and  leave  me  until  necessity  com- 
pelled them  to  go  to  work  again.  I  once  for  all  made  them 
distinctly  understand  that  I  would  not  pay  any  of  them 
until  the  whole  of  the  stuff  Avas  down.  As  many  of  tliem 
had  already  earned  from  twelve  to  fifteen  dollars  each,  to 
lose  which  was  a  serious  matter  to  them,  they  reluctantly 
resumed  work  and  kept  at  it  until  all  was  delivered.  This 
done,  I  paid  them  off,  and  set  about  getting  my  outfit  across 
the  lake,  which  I  did  with  my  own  party  and  the  two 
Peterborough  canoes  which  I  had  with  me. 

*'  These  two  canoes  travelled  about  3,000  miles  by  rail  and 
about  1,000  miles  by  steamship  before  being  brought  into 
service.  They  did  considerable  work  on  Chilkoot  and 
Tagish  Inlets,  and  were  then  packed  over  to  the  head  of 
Lewes  River  (Lake  Lindeman),  from  where  they  were  used 
in  making  the  survey  of  Lewes  and  Yukon  Rivers.  Li  this 
work  they  made  about  G50  landings.  They  were  then 
transported  on  sleighs  from  the  boundary  on  the  Yukon  to 
navigable  water  on  the  Porcupine. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1888  they  descended  the  latter  river, 
heavily  loaded,  and  through  much  rough  Avatcr,  to  the 
mouth  of  Bell's  River,  and  up  it  to  McDougall's  Pass. 
They  were  then  carried  over  the  pass  to  Pojilar  River  and 
were  used  in  going  down  the  latter  to  Peel  River,  and  thence 
up  Mackenzie  River  1,400  miles ;  or,  exclusive  of  railway 
and  ship  carriage,  they  were  carried  about  170  miles  and 
did  about  2,500  miles  of  work  for  the  expedition,  making 
in  all  about  1,700  landings  in  no  easy  manner  and  going 
through  some  very  bad  water.  I  left  them  at  Fort  Chipe- 
wyan  in  fairly  good  condition,  and,  with  a  little  paint- 
ing, they  would  go  through  the  same  ordeal  again. 

After  getting  all  my  outfit  over  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Linde- 
man I  set  some  of  the  party  to  pack  it  to  the  head  of  Lake 
Bennet. 


1 

tiffi 
M 


H 


!2! 
D 


O 

o 

M 

c 
o 

t 

e 


12 

IB 


i 


•'  ii 


M 


^ 


li 


I 


^ 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


45 


**  I  employed  the  rest  of  the  party  in  looking  for  timher 
to  build  a  boat  to  carry  my  outfit  of  provisions  and  imple- 
ments down  the  river  to  the  vicinity  of  the  international 
boundary,  a  distance  of  about  700  miles.  It  took  several 
days  to  find  a  tree  large  enough  to  make  plank  for  the 
boat  I  wanted,  as  tlie  timber  around  the  upper  end  of  tlie 
lake  is  small  and  scrubby.  My  boat  was  finished  on  the 
evening  of  the  11th  of  July,  and  on  the  12th  I  started  a 
portion  of  the  party  to  load  it  and  go  ahead  with  it  and 
the  outfit  to  the  canon.  They  had  instructions  to  examine 
the  cafion  and,  if  necessary,  to  carry  a  part  of  the  outfit 
past  il — in  any  case,  enough  to  support  the  party  back  to 
the  coast  should  accident  necessitate  such  procedure.  With 
the  rest  of  the  party  I  started  to  carry  on  the  survey,  which 
may  now  be  said  to  have  fairly  started  ahead  on  the  lakes. 
This  proved  tedious  work,  on  account  of  the  stormy 
weather. 

"  In  the  summer  months  there  is  nearly  ahvays  a  wind 
blowing  in  from  the  coast ;  it  blows  down  the  lakes  and 
produces  quite  a  heavy  swell.  This  would  not  prevent  the 
canoes  going  with  the  decks  on,  but,  as  we  had  to  land  every 
mile  or  so,  the  rollers  breaking  on  the  generally  flat  beach 
proved  very  troublesome.  On  this  account  I  found  I 
could  not  average  more  than  ten  miles  per  day  on  the 
lakes,  little  more  than  half  of  what  could  be  done  on  the 
river. 

**  The  survey  was  completed  to  the  canon  on  the  20th  of 
July.  There  I  found  the  party  with  the  large  boat  had 
arrived  on  the  18th,  having  carried  a  part  of  the  supplies 
past  the  canon,  and  were  awaiting  my  arrival  to  run  through 
it  with  the  rest  in  the  boat.  Before  doing  so,  however,  I 
made  an  examination  of  the  cafion.  The  rapids  below  it, 
particularly  the  last  rapid  of  the  series  (called  tlie  White 
Horse  by  the  miners),  I  found  would  not  be  safe  to  run. 
I  sent  two  men  through  the  cafion  in  one  of  the  canoes  to 


'i 


u    'la 


■%'i 


■t 


j.i 

•Til 


46 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


■  \ 


await  the  arrival  of  the  hoat,  and  to  ho  ready  in  case  of  an 
accident  to  pick  us  up.  Every  man  in  the  party  was  sup- 
plied with  a  life-preserver,  so  tliat  yiiould  a  casualty  occur 
we  would  all  have  floated.  Those  in  the  oanoogot  through 
all  right ;  but  they  would  not  liavo  liked  to  repeat  the 
trip.  They  said  the  canoe  junii)t'd  about  a  great  deal  more 
than  they  thought  it  would,  and  1  had  the  same  experieiice 
when  going  through  in  the  boat. 

"  The  passage  through  is  made  in  about  three  minutes,  or 
at  the  rate  of  about  12 J  miles  an  hour.  If  the  boat  is  kept 
clear  of  the  sides  there  is  not  much  danger  in  liigli  water  ; 
but  in  low  water  there  is  a  rock  in  themiddk^  of  the  channel, 
near  the  upper  end  of  tlie  cailon,  that  renders  the  passage 
more  difficult.  I  did  not  see  this  rock  myself,  but  got  my 
information  from  some  miners  I  met  in  the  interior,  who 
described  it  as  being  about  150  yards  down  from  the  head 
and  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  middle  of  the  channel.  In 
low  water  it  barely  projects  above  the  surface.  When  I 
passed  through  there  was  no  indication  of  it,  either  from 
the  bank  above  or  from  the  boat. 

**  The  distance  from  the  head  to  the  foot  of  the  cafion  is 
five-eighths  of  a  mile.  There  is  a  basin  about  midway  in  it 
about  150  yards  in  diameter.  This  basin  is  circular  in 
form,  with  steep  sloping  sides  about  100  feet  high.  The 
lower  part  of  the  cafion  is  much  rougher  to  run  through 
than  the  upper  part,  the  fall  being  apparently  much 
greater.  The  sides  are  generally  perpendicular,  about  80 
to  100  feet  high,  and  consist  of  basalt,  in  some  places 
showing  hexagonal  columns. 

"The  Wliite  Horse  Rapids  are  about  three-eighths  of  a 
mile  long.  They  are  the  most  dangerous  rapids  on  the 
river,  and  are  never  run  through,  in  boats  except  by  ac- 
cident. They  are  confined  by  low  basaltic  banks,  which, 
at  the  foot,  suddenly  close  in  and  make  the  channel  about 
30  yards  wide.     It  is  here  the  danger  lies,  as  there  is  a 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


47 


sudden  drop  and  the  water  ruslies  through  at  a  tremen- 
dous rate,  le'aping  and  seetliing  like  a  cataract.  The 
miners  have  constructed  a  portage  road  on  the  west  side, 
and  put  down  rollways  in  some  phices  on  whi('li  to  sliovo 
their  boats  over.  They  liavo  also  made  sou'c  windlasses 
with  which  to  haul  their  boats  up  hill,  notably  one  at  the 
foot  of  the  caflon.  Tiiis  roadway  and  windlasses  nnist  have 
cost  them  many  hours  of  hard  labor.  Should  it  ever  bo 
necessary,  a  tramway  could  be  built  past  the  caflon  on  the 
east  side  with  no  great  difficulty.  AVith  the  exception 
of  the  Five  Finger  Rapids  those  appear  to  be  the  only 
serious  rapids  on  the  whole  length  of  the  river. 

*'  Five  Finger  Rapids  are  formed  by  several  islands  stand- 
ing in  the  channel  and  backing  up  the  water  so  much  as 
to  raise  it  about  a  foot,  causing  a  swell  below  for  a  few 
yards.  The  islands  are  composed  of  conglomerate  rock, 
similar  to  the  cliffs  on  each  side  of  the  river,  whence  one 
would  infer  that  there  has  been  a  fall  here  in  past  ages. 
For  about  two  miles  below  the  rapids  there  is  a  pretty  swift 
current,  but  not  enough  to  prevent  the  ascent  of  a  steam- 
boat of  moderate  power,  and  the  rapids  themselves  I  do 
not  think  would  present  any  serious  obstacle  to  the  ascent 
of  a  good  boat.  In  very  high  water  warjiing  migiit  be  re- 
quired. Six  miles  below  these  rapids  are  what  are  known 
as  '  Rink  Rapids.'  This  is  simply  a  barrier  of  rocks,  which 
extends  from  the  westerly  side  of  the  river  about  half  way 
across.  Over  this  barrier  there  is  a  rijiple  which  would 
offer  no  great  obstacle  to  the  descent  of  a  good  canoe.  On 
the  easterly  sides  there  is  no  ripple,  and  the  current  is 
smooth  and  the  Avater  apparently  deep.  I  tried  with  a  6 
foot  paddle,  but  could  not  reach  the  bottom. 

'*  On  the  11th  of  August  I  met  a  party  of  miners  coming 
out  who  had  passed  Stewart  River  a  few  days  before. 
They  saw  no  sign  of  Dr.  Dawson  having  been  there.  This 
was  welcome  news  for  me,  as  I  expected  he  would  have 


m 


ill 


I  m 


i:i 


i  '■-; 


;|.i| 


48 


KLOXBTKE  FACTS. 


reached  that  point  long  before  I  arrived,  on  account  of  the 
many  delays  I  had  met  with  on  the  coast  range.  These 
miners  also  gave  me  tho  pleasant  news  that  the  story  told 
at  the  coast  about  ^  he  tight  with  the  Indians  at  Stewart 
River  was  false,  and  stated  substantially  what  I  have 
already  repeated  concerning  it.  The  same  evening  I  met 
more  miners  on  their  way  out,  and  the  next  day  met  three 
boats,  each  containing  four  men.  In  the  crew  of  one  of  them 
was  a  son  of  Capt.  Moore,  from  whom  the  captain  got  such 
information  as  induced  him  to  turn  back  and  accompany 
them  out. 

*'  Next  day,  the  13th,  I  got  to  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly,  and 
found  that  Dr.  Dawson  had  arrived  t^^re  on  the  11th. 
The  doctor  also  had  experienced  many  delays,  and  had 
heard  the  same  story  of  the  Indian  uprising  in  the  interior. 
I  was  pleased  to  find  that  he  was  in  no  immediate  want  of 
provisions,  the  fear  of  Avhicli  had  caused  me  a  great  deal  of 
uneasiness  on  the  Avay  down  the  river,  as  it  was  arranged 
between  us  in  Victoria  that  I  was  Lo  take  with  me  provi- 
sions for  his  party  to  do  them  until  their  return  to  the 
coast.  The  doctor  was  so  much  behind  tho  time  arranged 
to  meet  me  that  he  determined  to  start  for  the  co-i  t  at 
once.  I  therefore  set  about  making  a  short  report  and 
plan  of  my  survey  to  this  point ;  and,  as  I  was  not  likely 
to  get  another  opportunity  of  writing  at  such  length  for  a 
year,  I  applied  myself  to  a  correspondence  designed  to 
satisfy  my  friends  and  acquaintances  for  the  ensuing 
twelve  months.     This  necessitated  three  days'  hard  work. 

' '  On  the  morning  of  the  17th  the  doctor  left  for  ':he  out- 
side world,  leavmg  me  with  a  feeling  of  loneliness  ti\at  only 
those  who  have  experienced  it  can  realize.  I  remained 
at  tne  mouth  of  the  Peliy  during  the  next  day  taking  mag- 
netic and  astronomical  observations,  and  making  some 
measurements  of  the  river.  On  the  19th  I  resumed  the 
survey  and  reached  White  liiver  on  the  25th.     Here  I  spent 


m 


i 
1 
I 


^1 


m 
pi 
ai: 
in 
T 
p( 
cl 
m 
to 

St 

fe 
tl 
o\ 

SI 

a 
ti 
u 
ri 

g 

r 

7 

I 

tl 

8' 

a 
I 

a 
f 
t 

0 

11 


■      i: 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


49 


most  of  a  day  trying  to  ascend  this  river,  but  found  it  im- 
practicable, on  account  of  the  swift  current  and  shalloAv 
and  very  muddy  water.  The  water  is  so  muddy  tliat  it  is 
impossible  to  see  through  one-eighth  of  an  inch  of  it. 
The  current  is  very  strong,  probably  eight  miles  or  more 
per  hour,  and  the  numerous  bars  in  the  bed  are  constantly 
changing  place.  After  trying  for  several  hours,  the  base 
men  succeeded  in  doing  about  half  a  mile  only,  and  I  came 
to  the  conclutlon  that  it  Avas  useless  to  try  to  get  up  this 
stream  to  the  boundary  with  canoes.  Had  it  proved 
feasible  I  had  intended  making  a  survey  of  this  stream  to 
the  boundary,  to  discover  more  especially  the  facilities  it 
offered  for  the  transport  of  supplies  in  the  event  of  a 
survey  of  the  International  Boundary  being  undertaken. 

"  I  reached  Stewart  River  on  the  2Gth.  Here  I  remained 
a  day  taking  magnetic  observations,  and  gett'ug  informa- 
tion from  a  miner,  named  McDonald,  about  the  country 
up  that  river.  McDonald  had  spent  the  summer  up  the 
river  prospecting  and  exploring.  His  information  will  be 
given  in  detail  further  on. 

*'  Fort  Reliance  was  reached  on  the  1st  of  September,  and 
Forty  Mile  River  (Cone-Hill  River  of  Schwatka)  on  the 
7th.  In  the  interval  between  Fort  Reliance  and  Forty 
Mile  River  there  were  several  days  lost  by  rain. 

"At  Forty  Mile  River  I  made  some  arrangements  with 
the  traders  there  (Messrs.  Harper  &  McQuestion)  about 
supplies  during  the  winter,  and  about  getting  Indians  to 
assist  me  in  crossing  from  the  Yukon  to  the  head  of  the 
Porcupine,  or  perhaps  on  to  the  Peel  River.  I  then  made 
a  survey  of  the  Forty  Mile  River  up  to  the  canon.  I 
found  the  canon  would  be  difficult  of  ascent,  and  dangerous 
to  descend,  and  therefore,  concluded  to  defer  further 
operations  until  the  winter,  and  until  after  I  had  deter- 
mined the  longitude  of  my  winter  post  near  the  boundary, 
when  I  would  be  in  a  much  better  position  to  locate  the 


m 


i 

3    \-t.l 


t    m 


1    ii 


M 


50 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


I 


intersection  of  the  International  Boundary  with  this  river, 
a  point  important  to  determine  on  account  of  the  number 
and  richness  of  the  mining  claims  on  the  river. 

*'  I  left  Forty  Mile  River  for  the  boundary  line  between 
Alaska  and  the  Northwest  Territories  on  the  12th  Sep- 
tember, and  finished  the  survey  to  that  point  on  the  14rth. 
I  then  spent  two  days  in  examining  the  valley  of  tlie  river 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  boundary  to  get  the  most  extensive 
view  of  the  horizon  possible,  and  to  find  a  tree  large  enough 
to  serve  for  a  transit  stand. 

"  Before  leaving  Toronto  I  got  Mr.  Foster  to  make  large 
brass  plates  with  V's  on  them,  which  could  be  screwed 
firmly  to  a  stump,  and  thus  be  made  to  serve  as  a  transit 
stand.  I  required  a  stump  at  least  22  inches  in  diameter 
to  make  a  base  large  enough  for  the  plates  when  properly 
placed  for  the  transit.  In  a  search  which  covered  about 
four  miles  of  the  river  bank,  on  both  sides,  I  found  only 
one  tree  as  large  as  18  inches.  I  mention  this  fact  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  size  of  the  trees  along  the  river  in  this 
vicinity.  I  had  this  stump  enlarged  by  firmly  fixing  pieces 
on  the  sides  so  as  to  bring  it  up  to  the  requisite  size.  This 
done,  I  built  around  the  stump  a  small  transit  house  of 
the  ordinary  form  and  then  mounted  and  adjusted  my 
transit.  Meanwhile,  most  of  the  party  were  busy  prepar- 
ing our  winter  quarters  and  building  a  magnetic  observa- 
tory. As  I  had  been  led  to  expect  extremely  low  temper- 
atures during  the  winter,  I  adopted  precautionary  measures, 
80  as  to  be  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would  permit 
during  our  stay  there. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    YUKON,    ITS    AFFLUENT    STREAMS, 
AND  THE   ADJACENT  COUNTRY. 


"  I  will  now  give,  from  my  own  observation  and  from 
information  received,  a  more  detailed  description  of  the 


-r?! 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


51 


Lewes  River,  its  affluent  streams,  and  the  resources  of  the 
adjacent  country. 

*'For  the  purpose  of  navigation  a  description  of  the 
Lewes  River  begins  at  the  head  of  Lake  Bennet.  Above 
that  point,  and  between  it  and  Lake  Lindeman,  there  is 
only  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  river,  which  is  not 
more  than  fifty  or  sixty  yards  wide,  and  two  or  three  feet 
deep,  and  is  so  swift  and  rough  that  navigation  is  out  of 
the  question. 

"  Lake  Lindeman  is  about  five  miles  long  and  half  a  mile 
wide.  It  is  deep  enough  for  all  ordinary  purposes.  Lake 
Bennet  *  is  twenty-six  and  a  quarter  miles  long,  for  the 
upper  fourteen  of  which  it  is  about  half  a  mile  wide. 
About  midway  in  its  length  an  arm  comes  in  from  the 
west,  which  Schwatka  appears  to  have  mistaken  for  a 
river,  and  named  Wheaton  River.  This  arm  is  wider  than 
the  other  arm  down  to  that  point,  and  is  reported  by 
Indians  to  be  longer  and  heading  in  a  glacier  which  lies  in 
the  pass  at  the  head  of  Chilkoot  Inlet.  This  arm  is,  as 
far  as  seen,  surrounded  by  high  mountains,  apparently 
much  higher  than  those  on  the  arm  we  travelled  down. 
Below  the  junction  of  the  two  arms  the  lake  is  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  wide,  with  deep  water.  Above  the  forks 
the  water  of  the  east  branch  is  muddy.  This  is  c;iuscd  by 
the  streams  from  the  numerous  glaciers  on  the  head  of 
the  tributaries  of  Lake  Lindeman. 

*'  A  stream  which  flows  into  Lake  Bennet  at  the  south- 
west corner  is  also  very  dirty,  and  has  shoaled  quite  a  large 
portion  of  the  lake  at  itc  mouth.  The  beach  at  the  lower 
end  of  this  lake  is  comparatively  fiat  and  the  water  shoal. 


:<l 


I 


*  A  small  saw-mill  luis  been  erected  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ben- 
net ;  lumber  for  boat  building  sells  at  §100  per  M.  Boats  25  feet 
long  and  5  feet  beam  are  $60  each.  Last  year  the  ice  broke  up 
in  the  lake  on  the  12th  June,  but  this  season  is  earlier  and  the 
boats  are  expected  to  go  down  the  lake  about  the  1st  of  June. 


52 


KLONBYKE  FACTS. 


A  deep,  wide  valley  extends  northwards  from  the  north 
end  of  tlio  lake,  apparently  reaching  to  the  canon,  or  a 
short  di-iance  above  it.  This  may  have  been  originally  a 
course  for  tlie  waters  of  the  river.  The  bottom  of  the 
valley  is  wide  and  sandy,  and  covered  with  scrubby  timber, 
principally  poplar  and  pitch-pine.  The  waters  of  the  lake 
empty  at  the  extreme  north-east  angle  through  a  channel 
not  more  than  one  hundred  yards  wide,  which  soon  expands 
into  what  Schwatka  called  Lake  Nares.*  Through  this 
narrow  channel  there  is  quite  a  current,  and  more  than  7 
feet  of  water,  as  a  0  foot  paddle  and  a  foot  of  arm  added 
to  its  length  did  not  reacii  the  bottom. 

"  The  hills  at  the  upper  end  of  Lake  LinJeman  rise 
abruptly  from  the  watc  r's  edge.  At  the  lower  end  they  are 
neither  so  steep  nor  so  high. 

*'  Lake  Nares  is  only  two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  its 
greatest  width  is  about  a  mile  ;  it  is  not  deep,  but  is  navi- 
gable for  boats  drawing  5  or  0  feet  of  water  ;  it  is  separated 
from  Lake  Bennet  by  a  shallow  sandy  point  of  not  more 
than  200  yards  in  length. 

*'Xo  streams  of  any  consequence  empty  into  either  of 
these  lakes.  A  small  river  flows  into  Lake  Bennet  on  the 
west  side,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  fork,  and  another 
at  the  extreme  north-west  angle,  but  neither  of  them  is  of 
any  consequence  in  a  navigable  sense. 

**  LakeNares  Hows  tlirough  a  narrow  curved  'channel  into 
Bove  Lake  (Schwatka).  Tliis  channel  is  not  more  than 
GOO  or  700  yards  long,  and  the  water  in  it  appears  to  be  suf- 
ficiently deep  for  boats  that  could  navigate  the  lake.  The 
land  between  the  lakes  along  this  channel  is  low,  swampy, 
and  covered  with  willows,  and,  at  the  stage  in  which  I  saw 
it,  did  not  rise  more  than  3  feet  above  the  water.  The 
hills  on  the  southwest  side  slope  up  easily,  and  are  not 

*Tlie  connecting  waters  between  Lake  Bennet  and  Tagish 
Lake  constitute  what  is  now  called  Caribou  Crossing. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


53 


high  ;  on  the  north  side  the  deep  valley  already  referred  to 
borders  it ;  and  on  the  east  side  the  mountains  rise  abruptly 
from  the  lake  shore. 

**  Bove  Lake  (called  Tagish  Lake  by  Dr.  Dawson)  is 
about  a  mile  wide  for  the  first  two  miles  of  its  length,  when 
it  is  joined  by  what  the  miners  have  called  the  Windy  Arm. 
One  of  the  Tagish  Indians  informed  me  tliey  called  it 
Takone  Lake.  Here  the  lake  expands  to  a  width  of  about 
two  miles  for  a  distance  of  some  three  miles,  when  it  sud- 
denly narrows  to  about  half  a  mile  for  a  distance  of  a  little 
over  a  mile,  after  which  it  widens  again  to  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  or  more. 

*'  Ten  miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake  it  is  joined  by  the 
Taku  Arm  from  the  south.  This  arm  must  be  of  consider- 
able length,  as  it  can  be  seen  for  a  long  distance,  and  its 
valley  can  be  traced  through  the  mountains  much  farther 
than  the  lake  itself  can  be  seen.  It  is  apparently  over  a 
mile  wide  at  its  mouth  or  junction. 

**  Dr.  Dawson  includes  Bove  Lake  and  these  two  arms 
under  the  common  name  of  Tagish  Lake.  This  is  much 
more  simple  and  comprehensive  than  the  various  names 
given  them  by  travellers.  These  waters  collectively  are 
the  fishing  and  hunting  grounds  of  the  Tagish  Indians,  and 
as  they  are  really  one  body  of  water,  there  is  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  be  all  included  under  one  name. 

"  From  the  junction  Avith  the  Taku  Arm  to  the  north  end 
of  the  lake  the  distance  is  about  six  miles,  the  greater  part 
being  over  two  miles  wide.  The  west  side  is  very  flat  and 
shallow,  so  much  so  that  it  was  impossible  in  many  places 
to  get  our  canoes  to  the  shore,  and  quite  a  distance  out  in 
the  lake  tliere  was  not  more  than  5  feet  of  water.  The 
members  of  my  party  who  were  in  charge  of  the  large  boat 
and  outfit,  went  down  the  east  side  of  the  lake  and  reported 
the  depth  about  the  same  as  I  found  on  the  west  side,  with 
many  large  rocks.     They  passed  through  it  in  the  night  in 


ill 


I  :t 


\      .iiJ 


1        -i 


il 


54 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


a  rainstorm,  and  were  much  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the 
boat  and  provisions.  It  would  appear  that  this  part  of  the 
lake  requires  some  improvement  to  make  it  in  keeping 
with  the  rest  of  the  water  system  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected. 

*'  Where  the  river  debouches  from  it,  it  is  about  150 
yards  wide,  and  for  a  short  distance  not  more  than  5  or  6 
feet  deep.  The  depth  is,  however,  soon  increased  to  10 
feet  or  more,  and  so  continues  down  to  what  Schwatka 
calls  Marsh  Lake.  The  miners  call  it  Mud  Lake,  but  on 
this  name  they  do  not  appear  to  be  agreed,  many  of  them 
calling  the  lower  part  of  Tagish  or  Bove  Lake  *'  Mud 
Lake,"  on  account  of  its  shallowness  and  flat  muddy  shores, 
as  seen  along  the  west  side,  the  side  nearly  always  travelled, 
as  it  is  more  sheltered  from  the  prevailing  southerly  Avinds. 
The  term  *'Mud  Lake'*  is,  however,  not  applicable  to  this 
lake,  as  only  a  comparatively  small  part  of  it  is  shallow  or 
muddy  ;  and  it  is  nearly  as  inapplicable  to  Marsh  Lake,  as 
the  latter  is  not  markedly  muddy  along  the  west  side,  and 
from  the  appearance  of  the  east  shore  one  would  not  judge 
it  to  be  so,  as  tlie  banks  appear  to  be  high  and  gravelly. 

**  Marsh  Lake  is  a  little  over  nineteen  miles  long,  and 
averages  about  two  miles  in  width.  I  tried  to  determine 
the  width  of  it  as  I  went  along  with  my  survey,  by  taking 
azimuths  of  points  on  the  eastern  shore  from  different 
stations  of  the  survey  ;  but  in  only  one  case  did  I  succeed, 
as  there  were  no  prominent  marks  on  that  shore  which 
could  be  identified  from  more  than  one  place.  The  piece 
of  river  connecting  Tagish  and  Marsh  Lakes  is  about  five 
miles  long,  and  averages  150  to 200  yards  in  width,  and,  as 
already  mentioned;  i::;  deep,  except  for  a  sliort  distance  at  the 
head.  On  it  are  situated  the  only  Indian  houses  to  be  found 
in  the  interior  with  any  pretension  to  skill  in  construction. 
They  show  much  more  labor  and  imitativeness  than  one 
knowing  anything  about  the  Indian  in  his  native  state 


TH 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


66 


would  expect.  The  i)liiii  h  evidoiitly  tjikcu  from  the  Iniliiin 
houses  oil  the  coiist,  wliich  appcur  to  mc  to  bo  ii  poor  copy 
of  the  houses  wliich  the  Hudson's  Jiiiy  Corujmiiy's  serviiuts 
build  around  their  trading  posts.  These  houses  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  used  for  some  time  past,  and  arc  almost 
in  ruins.  The  Tas;;isii  Indians  are  now  generally  on  the 
coast,  as  they  find  it  much  easier  to  live  there  than  in  their 
own  country.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  what  they  make 
in  their  own  country  is  taken  from  them  by  the  Coast 
Indians,  so  that  there  is  little  inducement  for  them  to 
remain. 

''  The  Lewes  River,  where  it  leaves  Marsh  Lake,  is  about 
200  yards  wide,  and  averages  this  width  as  far  as  the  caflon. 
I  did  not  try  to  find  bottom  anywhere  as  I  went  along,  ex- 
cept where  I  had  reason  to  think  it  shallow,  and  there  I 
always  tried  with  my  paddle.  I  did  not  anywhere  find 
bottom  with  this,  which  shows  that  there  is  no  part  of  this 
stretch  of  the  river  with  less  than  six  feet  of  water  at 
medium  height,  at  which  stage  it  appeared  to  me  the  river 
was  at  that  time. 

"  From  the  head  of  Lake  Bennet  to  the  caflon  the  cor- 
rected distance  is  ninety-five  miles,  all  of  which  is  navigable 
for  boats  drawing  5  feet  or  more.  Add  to  this  the  westerly 
arm  of  Lake  Bennet,  and  the  Takone  or  Windy  Arm  of 
Tagish  Lake,  each  about  fifteen  miles  in  length,  and  the 
Taku  Arm  of  the  latter  lake,  of  unknown  length,  but  prob- 
ably not  less  than  thirty  miles,  and  we  have  a  stretch  of 
water  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles  in  length,  all  easily 
navigable  ;  and,  as  has  been  pointed  out,  easily  connected 
with  Taiya  Inlet  through  the  "White  Pass. 

"  No  streams  of  any  importance  enter  any  of  these  lakes 
so  far  as  I  know.  A  river,  called  by  Schwatka  *'  McClin- 
tock  River,'*  enters  Marsh  Lake  at  the  lower  end  from  the 
cjist.  It  occupies  a  large  valley,  as  seen  from  the  westerly 
side  of  the  lake,  hut  the  stream  is  apparently  unimportant. 


m 


I 


!i 


I  ■    ",(! 


56 


KL  ONh  YKE  FA  CTS. 


Another  small  stream,  upiJiuvntly  only  :i  creek,  enters  the 
sK»uth-ea£>t  angle  of  the  lake.  It  i.s  not  jjrohablc  that  any 
stream  coming  from  the  oast  side  dI'  the  lake  is  of  import- 
ance, ag  the  strip  of  conntry  between  the  Lowes  and  Teslin- 
too  is  not  more  tlian  than  thirty  or  forty  miles  in  width  at 
this  point. 

"  The  Takn  Arm  of  Tagish  Lake,  is,  so  far,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  reports  from  Indians,  unknown  ;  but  it  is  o<|ually 
improbable  that  any  river  of  importance  enters  it,  as  it  is 
so  near  the  soun^e  of  the  waters  flowing  northwards.  How- 
ever, this  is  a  question  that  can  only  be  decMdod  by  a  proper 
exploration.  The  caflon  I  have  already  described  and  will 
only  add  that  it  is  five-eighths  of  a  mile  long,  about  1(»0  feet 
wide,  with  peri)(Midicular  banks  of  basaltic  rock  from  (50  to 
100  feet  high. 

"  Below  the  cafion  proper  there  is  a  stretch  of  rapids  for 
about  a  mile  ;  then  about  half  a  mile  of  smooth  water,  fol- 
lowing which  are  the  White  ITorse  Rapids,  which  are  three- 
eighths  of  a  mile  long,  and  unsafe  for  boats. 

"The  total  fall  in  the  eafion  and  succeeding  rapids  was 
measured  and  found  t(»  be  32  feet.  Were  it  ever  necessary 
to  make  this  part  of  the  river  luivigable  it  will  be  no  easy 
task  to  O/Crcome  the  obstacles  at  this  point  ;  but  a  tram  or 
railway  could,  with  very  little  ditticulty.  l)e  constructed 
along  the  east  side  of  the  river  [)ast  the  cailon. 

*•  For  some  distance  below  the  White  Horse  liajiids  the 
current  is  swift  and  the  river  wide,  with  many  gravel  l»ars. 
The  reach  between  these  rapids  and  Lake  Laljarge.  a  dis- 
tance of  tAventy-seven  ai»d  a  half  miles,  is  all  smooth  water, 
with  a  strong  I'urrent.  The  average  width  is  about  lot) 
yards.  There  is  no  impediment  to  navigation  other  than 
the  swift  current,  and  this  is  no  stronger  than  on  thf  lower 
j>art  of  the  river,  which  is  already  navigated  :  nor  is  it 
worse  than  on  the  Saskatchewan  and  Red  Rivers  in  the 
more  eastern  i)art  of  our  territory. 


ll 


4 

K 

n 

H 
o 
so 


M 
M 


o 
o 

o 
o 

o 
o 
7; 

o 

r; 


!  :  !,i 


^i      11 


'I 

■I 


JO 

si: 

I"' 
in 

to 

in 

of 

te 

tti 

ni 

111 

(1: 
T 
b 

c« 
II 
a 

ti 

t: 

o 

V 

1: 

y 

t 

f 


KL02iDYKK  FACTS. 


67 


"  About  midway  in  this  stretch  tho  Tahkeena  River  * 
joins  the  Lowes.  This  river  is,  api)arently,  about  lialf  tho 
size  of  tho  hitter.  Its  waters  are  nimbly,  indicating  tho 
l)assa^e  through  a  clayey  district.  I  got  sonu;  iiuk-iinito 
int'orniation  about  this  river  from  an  Indian  who  bapjx'ned 
to  meet  me  just  below  its  moutli,  but  I  could  not  readily 
imike  liim  understand  me,  and  his  replies  were  a  comi)ound 
of  Cliinook,  Tagish,  and  signs,  and  therefore  largely  unin- 
telligible. From  what  I  could  understand  with  any  cer- 
tainty, the  river  was  easy  to  descend,  there  being  no  biwl 
ra])ids,  and  it  came  out  of  a  lake  much  larger  than  any  I 
had  yet  passed. 

"  Hero  I  may  remark  that  I  have  invariably  found  it 
difllcult  to  get  reliable  or  dcliiiite  information  from  Indians. 
The  reasons  for  this  are  nuiny.  ^lost  of  the  Indians  it  has 
been  my  lot  to  meet  are  expecting  to  make  something,  and 
consequently  are  very  chary  about  doing  or  saying  anything 
unless  they  think  they  will  be  well  rewarded  for  it.  They 
are  naturally  very  sus])icious  of  sti-angers,  and  it  takes  some 
tinu',  and  some  knowledge  of  their  language,  to  overcome 
this  suspicion  and  gain  their  confidence.  If  you  begin  at 
once  to  ask  questions  about  the!.'  country,  without  pre- 
viously having  them  understand  that  you  have  no  unfriend- 
ly motive  in  doing  so,  they  become  alarmed,  and  although 
you  may  not  meet  with  a  positive  refusal  to  answer  ques- 
tions,  you  make  very  little  jirogress  in  getting  desired  in- 
formation. On  the  other  hand  I  have  met  cases  where, 
either  through  fear  or  hope  of  reward,  they  were;  oidy  too 
anxious  to  im[)art  all  they  knew  or  had  licard,  and  even 
more  if  they  thought  it  would  please  their  hearer.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  such  information  is  often  not  at  all  in  ac- 
cordance with  tho  facts. 


■si! 


.      I'J 


*Tlu'  Tahkeeua  was  formerly  much  used  by  the  Chilkat  Indians 
as  a  means  of  vearlung  the  interior,  but  never  by  the  miners 
owing  to  the  distance  from  the  sea  to  its  head. 


58 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


t 


"I  liave  several  times  fouml  that  some  act  of  mine  when 
in  tlieir  presence  hiis  aroused  either  their  fear,  superstition 
or  cupidity.  As  an  instance  :  on  the  Bell  liiver  I  met  some 
Indiaiw  comii'.i;  down  strean)  as  I  was  ^oin^'  n|t.  We  were 
ashore  at  the  time,  and  invited  them  to  jtnn  iis.  They 
started  to  ctnne  in,  but  very  slowly,  and  all  <he  lime  kept 
a  watchinl  eye  on  us.  I  noticed  that  my  <louhlel>arrelled 
shot  f,nui  was  lyiii}^  at  my  feet,  lojfded,  mid  picked  it  up  to 
nnloiid  it,  as  I  knew  tliey  would  be  handling  it  after  hi:;d- 
Imij.  Tliis  alarmed,  them  so  nuich  that  it  was  sonu'  time 
before  they  came  in,  and  I  don't  think  tlu'y  would  liave 
come  ashore  at  all  had  they  not  heard  that  a  party  of 
white  men  of  whom  we  answered  the  descrij)tion,  .vei-e  com- 
ing through  that  way  (they  had  learned  this  from  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  oflicers),  and  coiududecl  we  were 
the  party  described  to  them.  After  drinking  some  of  our 
tea,  and  getting  a  sui)ply  for  themselves,  they  became  (piite 
friendly  and  communicative. 

*'  J  cite  these  us  instances  of  what  one  meets  with  Avho 
comes  in  contact  with  Indians,  and  of  how  trifles  affect 
them.  A  sojourn  of  two  or  three  days  with  them  and  the 
assistance  of  a  common  friend  vould  do  much  to  disabuse 
them  of  such  ideas,  but  when  you  have  no  such  aids  you 
must  not  expect  to  make  much  progress. 

"  Lake  Labarge  is  thirty -one  miles  long.  In  the  upper 
thirteen  it  varies  from  three  to  four  miles  in  widtli  ;  it  then 
narrows  to  about  two  miles  for  a  distance  of  seven  miles, 
when  it  begins  to  widen  again,  and  gradually  expands  to 
about  two  and  a-half  or  three  miles,  the  lower  six  miles  of 
it  maintaining  the  latter  width.  The  survey  was  carried 
along  the  western  shore,  and  while  so  engaged  I  deter- 
mined the  width  of  the  upper  wide  part  by  triangulation 
at  two  points,  the  width  of  the  narrow  middle  part  at  three 
pomts,  and  the  width  of  the  lower  part  at  three  points. 
i/r.  Dawson  on  his  way  out  jude  a  track  survey  of  the 


KLON  nVKK  f\i CT.*?. 


59 


Oiidtorn  shore.  The  western  sliorc  is  irregular  in  many 
[)liU'es,  being  indente  ^  hy  lurge  buys,  especially  at  tlie  upper 
and  lower  ends.  These  bays  are,  as  a  rule,  shallow,  more 
especially  those  at  the  h)wer  end. 

''  Just  above  where  the  lake  narrows  iv.  the  middle  there 
is  a  large  island.  It  is  three  and  a-luiif  uiiles  long  and 
about  lialf  a  mile  in  width.  It  is  sb(twn  on  Schwatka's 
map  as  a  peninsula,  and  ealled  by  him  Richtofen  Rocks. 
How  he  came  to  think  it  a  peninsula  I  cannot  understand, 
as  it  is  well  out  in  the  lake  ;  the  nearest  jioint  of  it  to  the 
western  shore  is  u}) wards  of  half  a  niib^  distant,  and  the 
extreme  width  of  the  lake  here  is  not  more  than  live  miles, 
which  includes  the  depth  of  the  deepest  bays  on  the  western 
side.  It  is  therefore  difficult  to  un<lerstand  that  he  did  not 
see  it  as  an  island.  The  ujiper  half  of  this  island  is  gravelly, 
and  does  not  rise  very  high  above  the  lake.  The  lower  end 
is  rocky  and  high,  the  rock  being  of  a  bright  red  (u)lor. 

"  At  the  lower  end  of  the  lake  there  is  u  large  valley  ex- 
tending northwards,  which  has  evidently  at  one  time  been 
the  outlet  of  the  li.ke.  Dr.  Dawson  has  noted  it  audits 
l)eculiarities.  Hits  remarks  regarding  it  will  be  found  on 
l)ages  15G-100  of  his  re])ort  entitled  •  Yukon  District  and 
Northern  portion  of  British  Columbia.'  published  in  IHSO. 

"  The  width  of  the  Lewes  River  as  it  leaves  the  lake  is  the 
same  as  at  its  entrance,  about  il^^O  yards.  Its  waters  when 
I  was  there  were  murky.  This  is  caused  by  the  U(!tion  of 
the  waves  on  the  shore  along  the  lower  end  of  the  lake. 
The  water  at  the  upper  end  and  at  the  middle  of  the  lake 
is  quite  clear,  so  much  so  that  the  bollom  can  be  distinctly 
seen  at  a  depth  (<f  (3  or  7  feet.  The  wind  blows  almost 
constantly  down  this  lake,  and  in  a  high  wind  it  gets  very 
rough.  The  miners  complain  of  much  detention  owing  to 
this  cause,  and  certainly  I  cannot  «tom])luin  of  a  hick  of 
wind  while  1  was  on  the  lake.  Thi.x  lake  wan  mimed  after 
one  Mike  Labarge,  who  was  engaged  by  the  Western  Union 


iiii 


:l 


i 


I 

I 

■ 


60 


KLONDYKK  FA(:T!<i. 


4 


Telegraph  Company,  exploring  the  river  and  adjacent 
country  for  tlie  ])urposo  of  coinu'cting  Europe  and  Aiueraca 
))y  teiograpli  thr(»ngli  British  Cohinihia.  and  Alaska,  and 
across  Bchring  Strait  to  Asia,  and  thenceto  Kurope.  Tliis 
exjdoration  took  place  in  1807,  but  it  does  not  a[)))('ar  that 
Laharge  then,  nor  for  some  years  after,  saw  the  lake  called 
by  his  name.  Tlie  successful  laying  of  the  Atlantic,  cahle 
in  ISOC)  \)\\\.  a  .stop  to  this  project,  and  the  exploring  parties 
sent  out  \\vYi\  recalled  as  soon  as  word  could  be  got  to  t^.  ui. 
It  seems  that  I^abarge  had  got  up  as  far  as  the  Pelly  betor-- 
lie  re(;elved  his  recall  ;  he  liad  heard  something  of  a  large 
lake  some  distance  further  u])  the  river,  and  afterwards 
spoke  of  it  to  some  traders  aiul  miners  who  called  it  after 
him. 

"  After  leaving  Lake  Labarge  the  river,  for  a  distance 
of  about  five  miles,  preserves  a  generally  uniform  width 
and  an  easy  current  of  about  four  miles  per  hour.  It  then 
makes  a  sh-rt  turn  round  a  low  gra\cl  point.  !'!i''  Hoa'^  in 
exactly  the  opposite  of  its  general  course  f(U'  a  mihi  when  it 
again  turns  shar[(ly  to  its  general  direction.  The  current 
ftround  this  curve  aiul  for  sonu^  distance  below  if — in  all 
four  or  five  miles — is  very  swift.  I  timed  it  in  several 
phi'^ss  aiivl  found  it  frf)ni  ^ix  to  seven  miles  an  hour.  It 
then  moderates  to  f(nir  ur  live,  ami  continues  so  until  the 
Teslintoo  River  is  reached,  thirty-one  and  seven  tenths 
miles  from  Lake  La<)arge.  Th ?  average  width  of  this  part 
of  the  river  is  about  L'>u  yards,  and  the  depth  is  sutlicient 
to  alTord  passage  for  l)«uits  drawing  athnist  5  feet.  It  is,  ur 
a  rule,  crooked,  ;nid  eon8e<^jaently  a  little  ditficult  to  navi- 
gate. 

"The  Teslintoo*  was  so  called  by  Dr.  Dawson — this,  an- 

*The  limitwl  amount  of  proHp^^'tiiCir  tliat  has  been  done  on  this 
river  is  Hii^J  t<^)  Ix' vorv  -;itisf;'!i.  •  ;^old  liavin-;  Ik^cii  I'ouud 

in  all  \mri--  of  tJie  (river.     Tiie    .  'i|t|)li#~i  is  tin*  great  draw- 

back to  Utt  d«v9lopment,  and  thib  - .»  »ut  be  uvwrcoaiQ  tu  auy  ex- 


kLONl)YKt:  FACts. 


t>) 


cordliifj  to  information  ()l)tain«Ml  by  liim,  being  the  Indian 
nanu'.  It  is  (•ailed  l)v  the  miners  *  Hootalinkwa  '  or 
IIotulin<|ii!i.  and  was  called  l>y  Sflnvatka,  who  a])|)e!irs  to 
]uiv(>  bestowed  no  other  attention  to  it,  the  Xewberry,  al- 
though it  is  apparently  nuu-h  lartjerthun  the  Lewes.  This 
was  so  apparent  that  in  my  interim  reports  I  stated  it  as  a 
fa(.'t.  Owini;  to  fireumstanoes  already  narrat»'d,  1  had  not 
time  while  at  the  mouth,  to  make  any  measurement  to  de- 
termine the  ri'lative  size  of  tb*!  rivers  :  but  on  his  way  out 
Dr.  Dawson  made  these  mei'surements.  and  his  report,  l)e- 
fore  referred  to,  gives  the  followin<f  values  of  the  cross  see- 
tion.s  of  each  stream  :  Lewes.  '}.t»l,")  feet :  Teslintoo.  3.800 
feet.  In  the  same  connciMion  he  states  that  the  Lewes  ap- 
peared to  be  about  1  foot  above;  its  lowest  .«5ummer  level, 
while  the  Te^lintoo  apjieared  to  be  .it  its  btweat  level. 
Agsumi>:;:;  this  to  be  so,  and  takini;  his  widths  as  onr  data, 
it  would  rediiiv  bis  cross  section  of  the  Lewes  to  \i  .>!>.')  feet. 
Owinji;.  however,  to  tluM-urrentin  the  Lewes,  as  determined 
by  Dr.  l)aws<»u,  bein^j  just  double  that  of  the  Teslintoo, 
the  tifjures  beiui;  A'OS  and  <;"S,S  miles  per  hour,  respectively, 
thediseharife  of  the  Lewes,  takini:  these  fiirures  again  in 
18.0-U  rc<-t.  aii<l  of  tlir  Teslintoo  11, 4:50  feet.  To  reduce 
the  Lewes  to  its  lowe?'t  icvd  tin-  doitor  says  would  make 
its  dis(>hartre  I-'tjilKi  feet. 

'*  The  water  of  tiie  Teslintoo  is  of  a  dark  ])rown  color, 
similar  in  ap|iearan<'e  to  the  Ottawa  Kiver  watt-r.  and  a  little 
turbid.  Not  wit  bslandiiig  the  dilTtreuee  ..f  volunu' <tf  dis- 
tent until  by  soiut!  means  iieavy  l'i»;i>^l»(  can  I>h  Itroav^ht  over  the 
coast  raiiKe  te  tlie  head  of  the  river.  Imleeil.  owiiiK  <•>  t'l*'  'liffi- 
culties  attending  accessaud  trnnsix)rtation.  tlie>^reat  ilniirba<'k  to 
tbe  entire  Yukon  district  iit  present  is  tlie  \v;int  of  li"iuv  mining 
niacliinery  ami  the  scarcity  of  snp]»lies.  The  govennnent  being 
aware  of  the  re'iuirements  and  possil)ilities  of  tlie  <*oiuitry,  has 
undertaken  the  task  of  making  preliminary  survew*  for  trail** and 
railroads,  iiiid  mi  don!>l  in  the  n<'ar  future  the  aven»»*^  lor  better 
ftud  quii'ker  transportation  faciJities  will  be  opeiM?!  up. 


jl| 


,       .  .,     *     L 

I 


i 


02 


KLONDYKJH  FACTS. 


! 


charge,  tho  Toslintoo  clmiigos  coniplotoly  the  character  of 
the  river  below  tho  junction,  and  a  person  coming  up  tho 
river  wouhl,  at  tho  forks,  unhesitatingly  pronounce  tho 
Toslintoo  tho  main  stream.  The  water  of  the  Lewes  is 
blue  in  color,  and  at  the  time  I  speak  of  was  somewhat 
dirty — not  enough  so,  however,  to  prevent  one  seeing  to  a 
u'UJth  of  two  or  three  feet. 

"  At  tho  junction  of  the  Lewes  and  Toslintoo  I  met  two 
or  three  families  of  the  Indians  who  hunt  in  the  vicinity. 
One  of  them  could  speak  a  little  Chinook.  As  I  had  two 
men  with  mo  who  understood  his  jargon  perfectly,  with  their 
assistance  I  tried  to  get  some  information  from  him  about 
tho  river.  lie  told  mo  the  river  was  easy  to  ascend,  and 
presented  the  same  appearance  eight  days  journey  up  as  at 
the  mouth  ;  then  a  lake  was  reached,  which  took  ono  day 
to  cross  ;  the  river  was  then  followed  again  for  half  a  day 
to  another  lake,  which  took  two  days  to  traverse  :  into  this 
lake  emptied  a  stream  which  they  used  as  a  highway  to  tho 
coast,  passing  ])y  way  of  the  Taku  lliver.  lie  said  it  took 
four  days  when  they  luid  loads  to  carry,  from  Mie  head  of 
canoe  navigation  on  the  Toslintoo  to  salt  water  on  the  Taku 
Inlet ;  but  when  they  come  light  they  take  only  one  to  two 
days.  lie  spoke  also  of  a  stream  entering  the  large  lake 
from  the  east  which  came  from  a  distance  ;  but  they  did 
not  seem  to  know  much  about  it.  and  considered  it  outside 
their  country.  If  their  time  iitervals  a"e  approximately 
accurate,  they  mean  that  there  are  about  WO  miles  of  good 
river  to  the  firs'i.  [-vkc,  as  they  ought  easily  to  make  25  miles 
a  day  on  the  river  as  I  saw  it.  The  lake  takes  one  day  to 
traverse,  and  is  at  least  2o  miles  long,  followed  l)y  say  12 
of  river,  which  ])rings  us  to  tho  large  lake,  which  takes  two 
days  to  cross,  say  r)Oorr.o  mo»'o — in  all  about  2U'l  miles — 
say  3(*0  to  the  head  of  canoe  na.i> ,  *!i)n  ;  wliihi  tho  distance 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Ik'nnet  to  ic  juncLion  is  only  ISS, 
Assuming  the  course  of  the  Teslintoo  to  be  nearly  south 


i 


\i 


ll 


!  -■ 


THE    SoRTUCBN    HOINUAliY   0»     IIHITISW  OOLUl 


m 


KLOXDVKE  FACTH. 


on 


(it  is  a  little  to  the  oast  of  i;),aiul  throwing  out  evory 
fourth  mile  for  bends,  the  remainder  gives  us  in  arc  tliree 
degrees  and  a  quarter  of  latitude,  whicdi,  deducted  from 
01°  40',  tlie  latitude  of  th(!  junction,  gives  us  5S°  •>5',,  or 
nearly  t  le  latitu(hi  of  Juiuviu. 

"  T-  make  siii-e  that  Iuiule''>-^tood  tlu'  Indian  aright,  and 
that  he  knew  what  lie  was  speaking  about,  [  got  him  to 
sketch  the  river  and  lake,  as  he  described  them,  on  tlu^ 
S'lnd,  and  repeat  the  same  several  times. 

"  [  afterwards  met  .Mr.  T.  Boswell,  his  brother,  and  an- 
other miner,  who  had  spent  most  of  the  summer  on  the 
river  prospecting,  and  from  them  I  gathered  the  following  : 

"  Tiie  distaiKie  to  the  first,  and  only  lake  whieii  they  saw, 
they  put  at  ITo  miles,  and  the  lake  itself  they  call  at 
least  loO  miles  long,  as  it  took  them  four  days  to  row  in  a 
light  boat  from  end  to  end.  The  portage  to  the  sea  they 
did  not  appear  to  know  anything  aUjut,  but  describe  a 
large  bay  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  into  whicdi  a  river  Cj. 
considerabh^  size  entered.  This  river  occupies  a  wide 
valley,  surrounded  by  high  mountains.  Tiiey  thought  this 
river  must  head  lu-ar  Liard  Kiver.  Tliis  acccrunt  differs 
materially  from  that  given  by  the  Indian,  and  to  put  them 
on  their  guard,  T  told  then'  what  he  had  told  me,  but  they 
Btill  ])ersi8ted  in  their  story,  which  I  find  differs  a  good 
deal  from  the  account  they  gave  Dr.  Dawson,  as  incorpo- 
rated in  his  report. 

"  Many  years  ago,  sixteen  I  think,  a  man  named  Monroe 
prospected  up  the  Taku  and  learned  from  the  Indians 
something  of  a  large  lake  not  far  from  that  riv(;r.  He 
crossed  over  and  found  it,  and  spent  some  time  in  prospect- 
ing, and  then  recrossod  to  the  sea.  This  man  had  been  at 
P'orty  Mile  River,  and  I  heard  from  the  miners  there  his 
account  of  the  apj)earance  of  the  lake,  which  amounted 
generally  to  this:  The  lioswells  <lid  not  know  anything 
about  it."    It  was  unfortunate  the  Boswells  ditl  not  remain 


I 


ff 


64 


KLONDYKK  FACTS. 


lit  Forty  Mile  al^  winter,  a8l)y  a  comparison  of  recollections 
llH^y  might  have  arrived  at  some  correct  conclusion. 

"  Conllicting  as  these  descriptions  are,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain :  this  branch,  if  it  has  not  tlie  greater  discharge,  is  the 
longer  and  more  important  of  the  two,  and  offers  easy 
and  uninterrupted  navigation  for  more  than  double  the 
distance  which  the  Lewes  does,  the  cafi on  being  only  ninety 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Teslintoo.  The  Boswells 
reported  it  as  containing  much  more  useful  timber  than 
the  Lewes,  which  indeed  one  would  infer  from  its  lower 
altitude. 

"  Assuming  this  as  the  main  river,  and  adding  its  length 
to  the  Lewes-Yukon  below  the  junction,  gives  upward  of 
2,200  miles  of  river,  fully  two-thirds  of  which  runs  through 
a  very  mountainous  country,  without  an  impediment  to 
navigation. 

"  Some  indefinite  information,  was  obtained  as  to  the 
position  of  this  river  in  the  neighborliood  of  Marsh  Lake 
tending  to  show  tliat  the  distance  between  them  was  only 
about  thirty  or  forty  miles. 

"  Between  the  Teslintoo  and  the  Big  Salmon,  so  called  by 
the  miners,  or  D'Abbadie  by  Schwatka,  the  distance  is 
thirty-three  and  a-half  miles,  in  which  the  Lewes  preserves 
a  generally  uniform  width  and  current.  For  a  few  miles 
below  tlie  Teslintoo  it  is  a  little  over  the  ordinary  width, 
\n\  t  then  contracts  to  about  two  hundred  yards  which  it 
maintains  with  little  variation.  The  current  is  generally 
from  four  to  five  miles  per  hour. 

"  The  Big  Salmon  I  found  to  bo  about  one  hundred  yards 
wide  near  the  mouth,  the  depth  not  more  than  four  or  five 
feet,  and  the  current,  so  far  as  could  be  seen,  sluggish. 
None  of  the  miners  I  met  could  give  me  any  information  con- 
cerning this  stream  ;  but  Dr.  Dawson  was  more  fortiinatt>, 
and  met  a  man  who  had  spent  most  of  the  summer  of  1887 
prospecting  on  it.     llis  opinion  w»s  that  it  might  be  navi- 


-* 


KLONDriiK  FACTS. 


65 


gsibloi  for  sniiill  stcni-uluMl  sltiimcrs  for  niuiiy  miles. 
'Vhv  valley,  us  seen  from  the  moiilji,  is  wide,  ami  ;;ives  one 
tlie  impression  of  Itein^  oe(ii|>ie(l  l»y  a  nnieli  more  impor- 
tant slreani.  liookinj^mp  it,  in  lliiMlistaixc  eouM  l»e  seen 
many  lii;;'li  peaks  covered  with  snow.  As  (he  dale  was 
Au'^aist  it  is  likely  thoy  are  always  so  (jovi-rod,  wliieh  would 
make  their  probable  altitnde  above  the  river  r>,(i(io  leel 
or  more. 

"  Dr.  Dawson,  in  his  report,  ineori)orates  t'nily  (he  notes 
obtained  from  the  mini^rs.  I  will  trespass  so  far  on  these 
us  to  say  that  tlu^y  called  tbe  distance  to  a  small  lake  near 
tliG  liead  of  the  river,  190  miles  from  the  month.  This 
lake  was  estimated  to  be  four  miles  inlenifth  ;  another  lake 
al>out  12  miles  above  this  was  estimated  to  be  twenty-four 
miles  long,  and  its  upper  end  distant  only  about  ei,L!;iit 
miles  from  the  Teslintoo.  These  distances,  if  correct, 
make  this  river  much  more  important  than  a  casual  <,danee 
at  it  would  indicate  ;  tliis,  liowever,  will  bo  n'  ^re  fully 
spoken  of  under  its  proper  head. 

*'  Just  below  the  Big  Salmon  the  Lewes  takes  a  bend  of 
nearly  a  right  angle.  Its  course  from  the  junction  with 
the  Tahkeena  to  this  point  is  generally  a  little  east  of  north  ; 
at  this  point  it  turns  to  nearly  west  for  some  distance.  Its 
course  between  here  and  its  confluence  with  the  Pelly  is 
north-west,  and,  I  may  add,  it  preserves  this  general  direc- 
tion down  to  the  confluence  with  the  Porcupine.  The 
river  also  changes  in  another  respect ;  it  is  generally  wider, 
and  often  expands  into  what  might  be  called  lakes,  in 
which  are  islands.  Some  of  the  lakes  are  of  considerable 
length,  and  well  timbered. 

*'  To  determine  which  channel  is  the  main  one,  that  is, 
which  carries  the  greatest  volume  of  water,  or  is  best  avail- 
able for  the  purposes  of  navigation,  among  tliese  islands, 
would  require  more  time  than  I  could  devote  to  it  on  my 
way  down  ;  consequently  I  cannot  say  more  than  that  1  have 


^^:i 


KLONLYK.'S  FACTS. 


no  reason  to  douht  tliiit  ti  clinnncl  ^ivui'j  six  feet  or  more 
of  water  could  y\\.  ily  ho  lomid.  Wlienever,  in  the  main 
j'hannel,  1  had  rc^ason  to  think  tlie  water  shaUow,  I  tried 
it  with  my  ])ad(ne,  hut  always  failed  to  find  hottom,  wliicli 
^dves  upward  of  six  feet.  Of  course  I  often  found  less  than 
this,  hut  not  in  what  I  considered  tlu!  nuiin  chaniu'l. 

"Thirty-six  and  a  (piarter  miles  hclow  the  Big  Salmon, 
the  Ijitth^  Salmon — the  Daly  of  Sclnvatka — enters  the 
liinves.  This  river  is  ahout  00  yards  wide  at  the  mouth, 
and  not  more  than  two  or  three  feet  in  <U'i)th.  The  water 
is  clear  aiul  of  a  hrownish  liue  ;  there  is  not  much  current 
at  the  mouth,  nor  as  far  as  can  be  seen  up  the  stream. 
The  valley  which,  from  the  mouth,  doe;i  not  a[)pear  ex- 
tensive, bears  northeast  for  some  distanee,  vhen  it  ap- 
pears to  turn  more  to  the  east.  Six  or  seven  miles  up,  an<l 
ajtparently  on  the  north  side,  some  high  clifTs  of  red 
rock,  apparently  graniU",  can  be  seen.  It  is  said  that 
some  miners  have  [)rospc'cted  this  stream,  but  I  could  learn 
nothing  definite  ahout  it. 

*'  Lewes  l{iver  makes  a  turn  here  to  the  southwest,  an«l 
runs  in  that  direction  six  miles,  when  it  again  turns  to  the 
northwest  for  seven  miles,  and  then  makes  a  short,  sharp 
turn  to  the  south  and  Avest  around  a  low  sandy  point, 
which  will,  at  some  day  in  the  near  future,  be  out  through 
by  the  current,  which  will  shorten  the  river  three  or  four 
miles. 

'*  Eight  miles  below  Little  Salmon  River,  a  large  rock 
called  the  Eagle's  Xest,  stands  uji  in  a  gravel  slope  on  the 
easterly  bank  of  the  river.  It  rises  about  live  hundred 
feet  above  the  river,  and  is  composed  of  a  light  gray  stone. 
^Vhat  the  character  of  this  rock  is  1  could  not  observe,  as  1 
saw  it  oidy  from  the  river,  which  is  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant.  On  the  westerly  side  of  the  river  there  are 
two  or  three  other  isolated  masses  of  apparently  the 
same  kind  of  rock.     One  of  them  might  be  appropriately 


KLOyDl'KK  FACTS. 


67 


called  a  mountuiii ;  it  is  south-west  from  the  Eagle's  Xi'st 
and  distant  from  it  about  throe  miles. 

**  Thirty-two  miles Ix'low  Kaghs'sXost  Knck,  NonlcuskioM 
Kiver  enters  from  tlic  west.  It  is  an  unimportant  stream, 
being  not  more  thiin  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide  at 
the  mouth,  and  only  a  few  inches  deej).  The  valley,  as  far 
jw  can  bo  seen,  is  not  extensive,  iind,  being  very  crooked,  it 
is  hard  to  tell  what  its  general  direction  is. 

"The  Ijcwes,  between  the  fiittle  Salmon  and  the  Nor- 
denskiold,  maintains  a  width  of  from  two  to  three  hundred 
yards,  M'ith  an  occasional  expansion  wben^  tberc!  are 
islands.  It  is  serpentine  in  its  course  most  of  the  way, 
and  where  tbe  Nordenskiold  joins  it  is  very  crooked,  run- 
ning several  times  under  n  hill,  named  by  Schwatka  Tan- 
talus Butte,  and  in  other  places  leaving  it,  for  a  distance 
of  eight  miles.  The  distance  across  from  point  to  point 
is  only  half  a  mile. 

'•  Below  this  to  Five  Finger  K'apids,  so-called  from  the 
fact  that  five  large  masses  of  r(M>k  stand  in  mid-channel, 
the  river  assumes  its  ordinary  straightncss  and  width,  with 
a  current  from  four  to  five  miles  per  hour.  I  iiavo  already 
described  Five  Finger  Kapids  ;  I  do  not  think  they  will 
prove  anything  more  than  a  slight  obstruction  in  the 
navigation  of  the  river.  A  boat  of  ordinary  power  Avould 
probably  have  to  help  herself  up  with  windlass  and  line  in 
high  water. 

"  Below  the  rapids,  for  about  tw(j  miles,  the  current  is 
strong — probably  six  miles  ])er  hour — but  the  water  seems 
to  be  deep  enough  for  any  boat  that  is  likely  to  navigate  it. 

"  Six  miles  below  this,  as  already  noticed,  Rink  Hapids 
are  situated.  They  are  of  no  great  importance,  the 
westerly  half  of  the  stream  only  being  obstructed.  The 
easterly  half  is  not  in  any  way  affected,  the  current  being 
smooth  and  the  water  deej). 

**  Below  Five  Finger  Uapids  about  two   miles  a  snuUl 


V 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


I:' 


1.0 


I.I 


■-  IIIIM 

■  50     '""=== 


u: 


112 


m 


IIM 

Z2 
2.0 


1.8 


© 

1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

•4 6"     - 

► 

Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  ?4580 

(716)  872-4503 


(/l 


tl 


68 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


li 


.stream  enters  from  the  east.  It  is  ciiUcd  by  Dr.  Dawson 
Tjitsliuii  Ikiver.  It  is  not  more  tliuii  IJO  or  40  feet  wide  at 
the  moiitli,  ami  (Mnitainsoiily  :i.  little  clear,  brownish  water. 
Here  I  met  the  only  Indians  seen  on  the  river  between 
Tcslintoo  and  Htewart  Rivers.  They  were  engaged  in 
catcliing  salmon  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tatshnu,  and  were 
the  poorest  and  most  unintelligent  Indians  it  has  ever 
been  my  ]•  l  to  meet.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  none  of 
our  party  understood  anything  they  said,  as  they  could 
not  speak  a  word  of  any  language  but  their  own.  I  tried 
by  signs  to  get  some  information  from  them  about  tho 
stream  they  were  fishing  in,  but  failed.  I  tried  in  the 
same  way  to  learn  if  there  were  any  more  Indians  in  tho 
vicinity,  but  again  utterly  failed.  I  then  tried  by  signs  to 
find  out  how  nuuiy  days  it  took  to  go  down  to  Pelly  IMver, 
but  although  I  have  never  known  these  signs  to  fail  in 
eliciting  information  in  any  other  part  of  the  territory, 
they  did  not  understand.  They  appeared  to  be  alarmed 
by  our  presence ;  and,  as  Ave  had  not  yet  been  assured  as 
to  the  rumor  concerning  the  trouble  between  .the  miners 
and  Indians,  we  felt  a  little  apprehensive,  but  being  able 
to  learn  nothing  from  them  we  had  to  put  our  fears  asido 
and  proceed  blindly. 

"  Between  Five  Finger  Rapids  and  Pelly  River,  fifty- 
eight  and  a  half-miles,  no  streams  of  any  importance  enter 
the  Lewes  ;  in  fact,  with  the  exception  of  the  Tatshun,  it 
may  be  said  that  none  at  all  enter. 

"About  a  mile  below  Rink  Rapids  tho  river  siireads  out 
into  a  lake-like  expanse,  with  mnny  islands  ;  this  contiiuies 
for  about  three  miles,  when  it  contracts  to  something  like 
the  usual  width ;  but  bars  and  small  islands  are  very 
numerous  all  the  way  to  Pelly  River.  About  five  miles 
above  Pelly  River  there  is  another  lake-like  expanse  filled 
with  islands.  The  river  here  for  three  or  four  miles  is 
nearly  a  mile  wide,  and  so  numerous  and  close  are  the 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


69 


islands  that  it  is  impossible  to  tell  when  floating  among 
them  where  the  sliores  of  the  river  arc.  The  current,  too, 
is  swift,  leading  one  to  suppose  the  water  shallow  ;  but  I 
think  even  here  a  channel  deep  enough  for  such  boats  as 
will  navigate  this  jiart  of  the  river  can  be  found.  Schwatka 
named  this  group  of  islands  "  Ingersoll  Islands." 

''At  the  mouth  of  the  Felly  the  Lewes  is  about  half  a 
mile  wide,  and  here  too  there  are  many  islands,  but  not 
in  groups  as  at  Ingersoll  Islands. 

"  About  a  mile  below  the  Pelly,  just  at  the  ruins  of  Fort 
Selkirk,  the  Yukon  was  found  to  be  5G5  yards  wide  ;  about 
two-thirds  being  ten  feet  deep,  with  a  current  of  about 
four  and  three-quarter  miles  per  hour ;  the  remaining 
third  was  more  than  half  taken  up  by  a  bar,  and  the 
current  between  it  and  the  south  shore  was  very  slack. 

"  Pelly  River  at  its  mouth  is  about  two  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  continues  this  width  as  far  up  as  could  be  seen. 
Dr.  Dawson  made  a  survey  and  examination  of  this  river, 
wnich  »vill  be  found  in  his  report  {ilrei);ly  cited,  "  Yukon 
District  and  Northern  British  Columbia." 

"  Just  here  for  a  short  distance  the  course  of  the  Yukon 
is  nearly  west,  and  on  the  south  side,  about  a  mile  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Lewes,  stands  all  that  remains  of  the  only 
trading  post  ever  built  by  white  men  in  the  district.  This 
post  was  established  by  Kol)ert  Campbell,  for  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  in  the  summer  of  1848.  It  was  first  built  on 
the  pohit  of  i.ind  between  the  two  rivers,  but  this  location 
proving  untenable  on  account  of  flooding  l)y  ice  jams  in  the 
spring,  it  was,  in  the  season  of  IS.")^,  nu)ved  across  the  river 
to  where  the  ruins  now  stand.  It  ap])ears  that  the  houses 
composing  the  post  were  not  finished  when  the  Indians 
from  the  coast  on  Cliilkat  and  Chilkoot  Inlets  came  down 
the  river  to  put  a  stop  to  the  competitive  trade  which  Mr. 
Campbell  had  inaugurated,  and  which  they  found  to 
seriously  intefere  with  their  profits.    Their  method  of  trade 


70 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


appears  to  have  been  then  pretty  much  us  it  is  now — very 
onesided.  What  they  found  it  convenient  to  take  hy 
force  they  took,  and  what  it  was  convenient  to  pay  for  at 
their  own  price  they  paid  for. 

"  Humors  had  reached  the  post  that  the  coast  Indians 
contemplated  such  a  raid,  and  in  consc{[uence  the  native 
Indians  in  the  vicinity  remained  about  nearly  all  summer. 
Unfortunately,  they  went  away  for  a  short  time,  and  dur- 
ing their  absence  the  coast  Indians  arrived  in  tlu;  early 
morning,  and  surprised  ^Ir.  Campbell  in  bed.  Tlicy  were 
not  at  all  rough  with  him,  but  gave  him  the  privilege  of 
halving  the  place  within  twenty-four  hours,  after  which 
he  was  informed  that  he  was  lia])le  to  be  shot  if  seen  by 
them  in  the  locality.  They  then  pillaged  the  place  and 
set  fire  to  it,  leaving  nothing  but  the  remains  of  the  two 
chimneys  which  are  still  standing.  This  raid  and  capture 
took  place  on  the  1st  August,  li^b'i. 

"  Mr.  Campbell  dropped  down  the  river,  and  met  some  of 
the  local  Indians  who  returned  with  him,  but  the  robbers 
had  made  their  escape.  I  have  heard  that  the  local  Indians 
wished  to  pursue  and  overtake  them,  but  to  this  Mr. 
Campbell  would  not  consent.  Had  they  done  so  it  is 
probable  not  many  of  the  raiders  would  have  escaped,  as 
the  su])erior  local  knowledge  of  the  natives  would  have 
given  them  an  advantage  ditlicult  to  estimate,  and  the 
confidence  and  spirit  derived  from  the  aiil  anil  presence  of 
a  white  man  or  two  would  be  worth  much  in  such  a 
conflict. 

•'  Mr.  r'ampbell  went  (»n  (h»wn  tlie  river  until  he  met  tlu* 
outllt  for  hiti  post  on  its  way  up  from  Fort  Yukon,  whicli 
he  turned  back,  lie  then  ascended  the  Telly,  crossed  to 
i\\v  Liard,  and  reached  Fort  Simpson,  on  the  Mackenzie, 
late  in  October. 

"  Mr.  Campbell's  first  visit  to  the  sit(>  of  Fort  Selkirk 
was   made  in  1840,  under    instructions  from   Sir  George 


1 


KL OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


71 


Simpson,  then  Governor  of  tlie  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
He  crossed  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Liard  to  the  waters 
of  the  Pelly.  It  appears  tlie  Pelly,  wliere  he  struck  it,  was  a 
stream  of  considerable  size,  for  lie  speaks  of  its  appearance 
when  he  first  saw  it  from  '  Pelly  lianks,'  the  name  f^iven 
the  bank  from  which  he  first  beheld  it,  as  a  '  splendid 
river  in  the  distance.'  In  June,  18-i3,  ho  descended  the 
Pelly  to  its  confiuence  with  the  larger  stream,  which  he 
named  the  *  Lewes.'  Here  he  found  many  families  of  the 
native  Indians — '  Wood  Indians,'  ho  called  them.  Tliese 
people  conveyed  to  him,  as  l)cst  tiiey  could  by  word  and 
sign,  the  dangers  that  would  attend  a  further  descent  of 
the  river,  representing  that  the  country  below  theirs  was 
inhabited  by  a  tribe  of  fierce  cannibals,  who  would  assuredly 
kill  and  eat  them.  This  so  terrified  his  men  that  he  had 
to  return  by  the  way  he  came,  pursued,  as  he  afterwards 
learned,  by  the  Indians,  who  would  have  murdered  him- 
self and  party  had  they  got  a  favoral)le  opportunity.  Thus 
it  was  not  until  1850  that  he  could  establish,  what  he  says 
he  all  along  believed,  '  that  the  Pelly  and  Yukon  were 
identical.'  This  he  did  by  descending  the  river  to  where 
the  Porcupine  joins  it,  and  Avhere  in  1847  Fort  Yukon 
was  established  by  Mr.  A.  II.  Murray  for  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company. 

"  With  reference  to  the  tales  told  him  by  the  Indians 
of  bad  people  outside  of  tiicir  country,  I  ]nay  say  that 
Mackenzie  tells  i)retty  much  the  same  story  of  the  Indians 
on  the  Mackenzie  when  he  discovered  and  exi)lored  that 
river  in  178'.».  He  had  the  advantaefc  of  having  Indians 
along  with  him  whose  language  was  radically  the  same  as 
that  of  the  people  he  was  coming  among,  and  his  state- 
ments are  more  explicit  and  detailed.  Everywhere  he 
came  in  contact  with  them  they  manifested,  first,  dread  of 
himself  and  party,  and  when  friendship  and  confidence 
were  established  they  nearly  always  tried  to  detain  liim  by 


li 


r 


72 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


representing  tlio  people  in  the  direction  lie  was  going  as 
unnaturally  bloodthirsty  and  cruel,  sometimes  asserting 
the  existence  of  monsters  with  supernatural  powers,  as  at 
Manitou  Island,  a  i\'\''  miles  below  the  present  Fort  (Jood 
Hope,  and  the  j)eople  on  a  very  large  river  far  to  the  west 
of  the  Mackenzie,  probably  the  Yukon,  they  described  to 
him  ;is  monsters  in  size,  power  and  cruelty. 

"  In  our  own  time,  after  the  intercourse  that  there  has 
been  between  them  and  the  whites,  more  than  a  suspicion 
of  such  unknown,  cruel  peoi)le  lurks  in  the  minds  of  many 
of  the  Indians.  It  would  be  futile  for  me  to  try  to  ascribe 
an  Origin  for  these  fears,  my  knowledge  of  their  language 
and  idiosyncrasies  being  so  limited. 

''Nothing  more  was  ever  done  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Selkirk  *  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  nfter  these  events, 
and  in  18G9  the  Company  was  ordered  by  Capt.  Charles 
W.  Raymond,  who  represented  the  United  States  Covern- 
ment,  to  evacuate  the  post  at  Fort  Yukon,  he  having 
found  that  it  was  west  of  the  141st  meridian.  The  post 
was  occupied  by  the  Company,  however,  for  some  time 
after  the  receipt  of  this  order,  and  until  Rampart  Hous(! 
was  built,  which  was  intended  to  be  on  British  territory, 
and  to  take  the  trade  previously  done  at  Fort  Y^ukon. 

"  Under  present  conditions  the  Company  cannot  very 
well  compete  with  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company, 
whose  agents  do  the  only  trade  in  the  district,!  and  they 
appear  to  have  abandoned — for   the  present  at  least — all 


*This  is  now  a  winter  port  for  steamboats  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can Transportation  and  Trading  Company,  plying  tlie  Yukon  and 
its  tributaries.  Tliere  is  also  a  trading  post  here  owned  by 
Harper  &  Ladue. 

f  Since  the  date  of  this  report  the  North  American  Transport- 
ation and  Trading  Conipany,  better  known  in  the  Yukon  valley 
as  "  Captain  Healy's  Company,"  has  established  a  number  of  posts 
on  the  river. 


r 


KL  ON  1)  TKE  FA  CTS. 


78 


attempt  to  do  any  trade  nearer  to  it  than  Rampart  House 
to  which  point,  notwithstanding  the  distance  and  difficul- 
ties in  the  way,  many  of  the  Indians  on  tlie  Yukon  make 
a  trip  every  two  or  three  years  to  procure  goods  in  ex- 
change for  their  furs.  The  clothing  and  blankets  brought 
in  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  they  claim  arc  much 
l)etter  than  those  traded  on  their  own  river  by  the  Ameri- 
cans. Those  of  them  that  I  saw  who  liad  any  English 
blankets  exhibited  them  with  pride,  and  exclaimed  '  good.' 
They  point  to  an  American  blanket  in  contempt,  with  the 
remark  *no  good,'  and  speak  of  their  clothing  in  the 
same  way. 

"  On  many  maps  of  Alaska  a  place  named  '  Reed's 
House '  is  shown  on  or  near  the  upper  waters  of  Stewart 
River.  I  made  enquiries  of  all  Avhom  I  thought  likely  to 
know  anything  concerning  this  post,  but  failed  to  elicit 
any  information  showing  that  there  ever  had  been  such  a 
place.  I  enquired  of  Mr.  Reid,  wlio  was  in  the  Company's 
service  with  Mr.  Campbell  at  Fort  Selkirk,  and  after 
whom  I  thought,  possibly,  the  place  had  been  called,  but 
he  told  me  he  knew  of  no  such  post,  but  that  there  Avas  a 
small  lake  at  some  distance  in  a  northerly  direction  from 
Fort  Selkirk,  where  fish  were  procured.  A  sort  of  shelter 
had  been  made  at  that  point  for  the  fishermen,  and  a  few 
furs  might  have  l)een  obtained  there,  but  it  Avas  never 
regarded  as  a  trading  post. 

*'  Below  Fort  Selkirk,  the  Yukon  River  is  from  five  to 
six  hundred  yards  broad,  and  maintains  this  Avidth  doAvn 
to  White  River,  a  distance  of  ninety-six  miles.  Ishinds 
are  numerous,  so  much  so  that  tliere  are  very  fcAV  parts  of 
the  river  Avhere  there  are  not  one  or  more  in  sight.  Many 
of  them  are  of  considerable  size,  and  nearly  all  are  Avell 
timbered.  Bars  are  also  numerous,  but  almost  all  are 
composed  of  gravel,  so  that  navigators  Avill  not  have  to 
complain  of  shifting  saud  bars.     The  current  as  a  general 


ij 


m : 


I 


74 


KLONDYKK  FAf'TSi. 


thing,  is  not  so  rapid  Jis  in  tlio  upper  part  of  iho  river, 
Jiveniging  about  four  miles  per  hour.  The  depth  in  the 
main  channel  was  always  found  to  be  more  than  six  feet. 

"  From  Pelly  River  to  within  twelve  miles  of  White 
River  the  general  course  of  the  river  is  a  little  north  of 
west ;  it  then  turns  to  the  north,  and  the  general  course 
as  far  as  the  site  of  Fort  Reliance  is  due  north. 

"  AVhite  River  enters  the  main  river  from  the  west.  At 
the  mouth  it  is  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  hut  a 
great  part  of  it  is  filled  with  ever-shifting  sand-bars,  the 
main  volume  of  water  being  confined  to  a  channel  not 
more  than  one  hundred  yards  in  width.  The  current  is 
very  strong,  certainly  not  less  than  eight  miles  per  hour. 
The  color  of  the  water  bears  witness  to  this,  as  it  is  much 
the  muddiest  that  I  have  ever  seen.* 

"  I  had  intended  to  make  a  survey  of  part  of  this  river  as 
far  PS  the  International  Boundary,  and  attempted  to  do 
so  ;  but  after  trying  for  over  half  a  day,  I  found  it  would 
be  a  task  of  much  labor  and  time,  altogether  out  of  pro- 
portion to  the  importance  of  the  end  souglit,  and  therefore 
abandoned  it.  The  valley  as  far  as  can  be  seen  from  the 
mouth,  runs  about  due  west  for  a  distance  of  eight  miles  ; 
it  then  appears  to  bear  to  the  south-west ;  it  is  about  two 
miles  wide  where  it  joins  the  Pelly  valley  and  apparently 
keeps  the  same  width  as  far  as  it  can  be  seen. 

'*  Mr.  Harper,  of  the  firm  of  Harper  &  Ladue,  Avent  up 
this  river  with  sleds  in  the  fall  of  1872  a  distance  of  lifty  or 
sixty   miles.      He   describes    it   as  possessing  the    same 

*  The  White  River  very  probablj'  flows  ovei'  volcanic  deposits 
as  its  sediments  would  indicate  ;  no  doubt  this  would  accoiuit  for 
the  discoloration  of  its  watei-s.  The  volcanic  ash  ai)pf»ars  to 
cover  a  great  extent  of  the  Upper  Yukon  basin  draiiietl  by  the 
Lewes  and  Pelly  Kivers,  Very  full  treatment  of  the  subject  is 
given  by  Dr.  Dawson,  in  his  report  entitled  "Yukon  District  and 
Northern  portion  of  British  Columbia." 


■y, 


KLOXDYKK  FACTS. 


Tf) 


genonil  features  iill  the  way  up.  witli  Jiuich  day  soil  i\\o\\^ 
its  ))aiiks.  Its  yoiioral  course,  as  skotehed  l)y  liiiii  on  a 
map  of  niiue,  is  for  a  distaiiee  of  about  tliirty  Diiles  a  little 
iiorth-we,st,  tlienec  soutli-west  tliirty  or  thirty-five  miles, 
when  it  deflects  to  the  north-west  running  along  the  base 
of  a  high  mountain  ridge.  If  the  courses  given  are 
correct  it  must  rise  somewhere  near  the  head  of  i'orty  Mile 
Eiver  :  and  if  so,  its  length  is  not  at  all  in  keeping  with 
the  volume  of  its  discharge,  when  conipare<l  with  the  known 
length  and  discharge  of  other  rivers  in  the  territory.  Mr. 
I[ari)er  mentioned  an  extensive  flat  south  of  the  nmuntain 
range  spoken  of,  a<  oss  which  many  high  mountain  peaks 
couhl  be  seen.  One  of  these  lie  thought  must  be  Mount 
St.  Elias,  as  it  overtopped  all  the  others  :  but,  as  ^fonnt 
St.  Elias  is  alnmt  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  distant, 
his  conclusion  is  not  tenable.  From  his  description  of 
this  mountain  it  must  be  more  than  twice  the  height  of 
the  highest  peaks  seen  anyAvhere  on  the  lower  river,  and 
consequently  must  be  ten  or  twelve  thousand  feet  abovo 
the  sea.  He  stated  that  rlie  current  in  the  river  was  very 
swift,  as  far  as  he  ascended,  and  the  water  muddy.  The 
water  from  this  river,  though  ])robaltly  not  a  fourth  of  the 
volume  of  the  Yukon,  discolors  the  water  of  the  latter 
comiiletely  ;  and  a  couple  of  miles.  l)elow  the  junction  the 
whole  river  a])pears  almost  as  dii-ty  as  White  IJiver. 

"  Between  White  and  StcAvart  Rivers,  ten  miles,  the 
river  spreads  out  to  a  mile  ami  upAvards  in  width,  and  is  a 
maze  of  islands  and  bars.  The  survey  was  carried  down 
the  easterly  shore,  and  many  of  the  channels  passed  through 
barely  al!'orded  water  enough  to  tloat  the  canoes.  The 
main  channel  is  along  the  westerly  shore,  down  which  the 
large  boat  went,  and  the  crew  rei)orted  plenty  of  water. 

"  Stewart  Kiver  enters  from  the  east  in  the  middle  of 
a  wide  valley,  with  low  hills  on  both  sides,  rising  on  the 
north  sides  in  steps  or  terraces  to  distant  hills  of  consider- 


iiu 


:  ,''t  ■-• 


70 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


able  height.  The  river  liulf  a  mile  or  so  above  the  month, 
is  two  hundred  yards  in  width.  The  current  is  slack  and 
the  water  shallow  and  clear,  but  dark  colored. 

**  While  at  the  mouth  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  meet 
a  miner  who  had  spent  the  whole  of  the  summer 
of  1887  on  the  river  and  its  branches  prospecting  and 
exploring.  He  gave  mo  a  good  deal  of  infornuition  of 
which  I  give  a  summary.  lie  is  a  native  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, Alexander  McDonald  by  name,  and  has  spent  some 
years  mining  in  other  places,  but  was  very  reticent  about 
what  he  had  made  or  found.  Sixty  or  seventy  miles  up 
the  Stewart  a  large  creek  enters  from  the  south  which  he 
called  Rose  Bud  Creek  or  Iliver,  and  thirty  or  forty  miles 
further  up  a  considerable  stream  flows  from  the  north-east, 
which  appears  to  be  Beaver  River,  as  marked  on  the  maps 
of  that  part  of  the  country.  From  the  head  of  this  stream 
he  floated  down  on  a  raft  taking  five  days  to  do  so.  He 
estimated  his  progress  at  forty  or  fifty  miles  each  day, 
which  gives  a  length  of  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred 
und  fifty  miles.  This  is  probably  an  over-estimate,  unless 
the  stream  is  '^ery  crooked,  wliich,  he  stated,  was  not  the 
case.  As  much  of  liis  time  would  be  taken  up  in  prospect- 
ing, I  should  call  thirty  miles  or  less  a  closer  estimate  of 
his  progress.  This  river  is  from  fifty  to  eighty  yards  wide 
and  was  never  more  than  four  or  five  feet  deep,  often  being 
not  more  than  two  or  three  ;  the  current,  he  said,  was  not 
at  all  swift.  Above  the  mouth  of  this  stream  the  main 
river  is  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards 
wide  with  an  even  current  and  clear  water.  Sixty  or 
seventy  miles  above  the  last-mentioned  branch  another 
large  branch  joins,  which  is  possibly  the  main  river.  At 
the  head  of  it  he  found  a  lake  nearly  thirty  miles  long, 
and  averaging  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width,  which  he  called 
Mayhew  Lake,  after  one  of  the  partners  in  the  firm  of 
Harper,  McQuestion  &  Co. 


k 


jp- 


V) 

9! 

O 

r) 


H 

CO 
M 

"1 

« 

O 


!|i;i;:i:i||lf 


liiiiiiliiiilll 


iii|i!P!"::'!ipi 


!iHS 


5  S 
j  f  j 


KLOyDYKE  FACTf^. 


77 


"•'Thirty  miles  or  so  abovo  tho  forks  on  tho other  branch 
there  are  falls,  which  McDonald  t'stiniatod  to  bo  from  one 
to  two  hundred  foot  in  height.  1  met  several  pftrniea  wlio 
had  seen  tliese  falls,  and  they  corroborate  this  csLimato  of 
their  height.  McDonald  went  on  past  the  falli?  to  the 
head  of  this  branch  and  found  terraced  grav  '  jiillp  '^o  tho 
west  and  north  ;  he  crossed  them  to  tlic  nortli  ani^  found 
a  river  lio.,  ing  northward.  On  this  he  embarked  (  ..  araft 
and  floated  down  it  for  a  day  or  two,  thinking  it  would 
turn  to  the  west  and  join  the  Stewart,  but  tinding  it  still 
continuing  north,  and  acquiring  too  much  volume  to  be 
any  of  the  branches  be  bad  scon  while  passing  up  tho 
Stewart,  ho  returned  to  the  point  of  his  departure,  and 
after  prospecting  among  the  hills  around  the  head  of  the 
river,  he  started  westward,  crossing  a  high  i-ange  of  moun- 
tains composed  principally  of  shales  with  many  thin  seams 
of  what  he  called  quartz,  ranging  from  one  to  six  inches 
in  thickness. 

"  On  the  west  side  of  tliis  range  he  found  a  river  flowing 
out  of  what  he  called  Mayhcw  Lake,  aiul  crossing  this  got 
to  tho  head  of  Beaver  IJiver,  which  he  descended  as  before 
mentioned. 

*' It  is  probable  the  river  flowing  northwards,  on  which 
he  made  a  journey  and  returned,  was  a  brancli  of  Peel 
River,  lie  described  the  timber  on  the  gravel  terraces  of 
the  watershed  as  small  and  open.  lie  was  alone  in  this  un- 
known wilderness  all  summer,  not  ^  eing  even  any  of  the 
natives.  There  are  few  men  so  constituted  as  to  be  ca- 
pable of  isolating  themselves  in  such  a  nnmncr.  Judging 
from  all  I  could  learn  it  is  probable  a  light-draught  steam- 
boat could  navigate  nearly  all  of  Stewart  Kivcr  and  its 
tributaries. 

''From  Stewart    River  to    the   site  of  Fort  Reliance,* 

*Tliis  was  at  one  time  a  trading  post  occupied  by  Messrs. 
Harper  &  McQuestion. 


•78 


KLONDYKE  FACTft. 


seventy-three  and  a  quarter  miles,  tlie  Yukon  is  broad  and 
full  of  islands.  The  average  width  is  between  a  half  and 
three  quarters  of  a  mile,  but  there  are  many  expansions 
where  it  is  over  a  mile  in  breadth  ;  however,  in  these  places 
it  cannot  be  said  that  the  watcrAvay  is  wider  than  at  other 
parts  of  the  river,  the  islands  being  so  large  and  numerous. 
In  this  reach  no  streams  of  any  importance  enter. 

"About  thirteen  miles  below  Stewart  Iiiver  a  large 
valley  joins  that  of  tlie  river,  but  the  stream  occupying  it 
is  only  a  large  creek.  This- agrees  in  position  witli  v»'bat 
has  l)een  called  Sixty  ^lile  Creek,  whicli  Avas  supposed  to 
be  about  that  distance  above  Fort  lleliance,  but  it  <loes 
not  agree  Avith  descri])tions  whi(;h  T  received  of  it  ;  more- 
over as  Sixty  Mile  Creek  is  known  to  be  a  stream  of  (con- 
siderable length,  this  creek  would  not  answer  its  descrip- 
tion. 

"Twenty-two  and  a  half  miles  from  Stewart  River 
another  and  larger  creek  enters  from  the  same  side  ;  it 
agrees  with  the  descriptions  of  Sixty  Mile  Creek,  and  I 
have  so  marked  it  on  my  map.  This  stream  is  of  no  im- 
portance, except  for  what  mineral  wealth  may  be  found 
on  it.* 

"Six  and  a  half  miles  ahove  Fort  Heliance  tlu' 'FMiron- 

*  Sixty  Mile  Creek  is  about  one  hundred  luiies  long,  very 
crooked,  with  a  swift  current  and  many  rapids,  nnd  is  therefoi-e 
not  easy  to  ascend. 

]ililler.  Glacier,  (lold.  Little  Gold  and  Be<lro(ck  Ci'eeks  are  all 
tributaries  of  Sixty  Mile.  Home  of  the  richest  discoveries  in  gold 
so  far  made  in  the  interior  since  1804  have  been  upon  these 
ci-eeks.  especially  has  this  been  the  case  upon  the  two  lirst  men- 
tioned. There  is  a  claim  upon  IMiller  Creek  owned  by  .Joseph 
lioudreau  from  wliich  (»ver  $100,000  worth  of  gold  is  sjiid  to  have 
been  taken  out.  . 

Freight  for  the  mines  is  taken  up  Forty  ]\Iile  Creek  in  summer 
for  a  distance  of  30  miles,  tliea  i)ortaged  across  to  the  heads  of 
Miller  and  Glacier  Creeks.    In  the  winter  it  is  hauled  in  by  dogs. 


K^ 


^ 


^11 


KLONDVKK  RtfTS'. 


79 


I 


Diiu'k  *  River  of  the  Iiuliiuis  (Deer  River  of  Schwatka) 
enters  from  tlie  east.  It  is  a  small  river  about  forty  yny(h 
wide  at  the  mouth,  and  shallow  ;  the  water  is  clear  and 
transparent,  and  of  beautiful  blue  color.  The  Indians 
catch  great  numbers  of  salmon  here,  ^riiey  bad  been  fish- 
ing shortly  before  my  arrival,  and  the  river,  for  some  dis- 
tance up,  was  full  of  salmon  traps. 

"A  miner  had  prospected  up  this  river  for  an  estimated 
distance  of  forty  miLs,  in  die  season  of  ISST.  1  did  not 
see  him,  but  got  some  of  his  information  at  second  hand. 
The  water  being  so  beautifully  clear  I  thought  it  must 
come  tlirough  a  large  lake  not  far  up  :  I)ut  as  far  as  he 
had  gone  no  lakes  were  seen.  He  said  the  current  was 
comparatively  slack,  Avith  an  occasional  'ripple 'or  small 
rapid.  Where  he  turned  back  the  river  is  surrounded  by 
high  mountains,  which  Avero  then  covered  with  snow, 
which  accounts  for  the  ])urity  and  clearness  of  the  water. 


H  ;l 


Tlie  trip  from  Cudahy  to  the  post  at  the  moutli  of  Sixty  Mile 
River  is  made  by  ascending  Forty  Mile  River  a  small  distance,  mak- 
ing a  short  portage  to  Sixty  Mile  River  and  running  down  witli 
its  swift  current.  Coming  back  on  the  Yukon,  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  round  trip  is  made  down  stream. 

Indian  Creek  enters  the  Yukon  from  the  east  about  30  miles 
l)elow  Sixty  Mile.  It  is  reported  to  be  rich  in  gold,  hut  owing  to 
to  the  scarcity  of  sui)plies  its  development  has  l)een  retarded. 

At  the  mouth  of  Sixty  Mile  Creek  a  townsite  of  that  name  is 
loi'ated,  it  is  the  headciuarters  for  upwards  of  100  niinei's  and 
where  they  I'lore  or  less  assend)le  in  the  winter  months. 

Messrs.  Harper  &  C'o.  have  a  trading  i)ost  and  a  saw-'iill  on 
an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  botli  of  which  are  in  charge 
of  Mr.  J.  Lad\ie.  one  of  the  i)artners  of  the  Hrm,  and  who  was 
at  <>Me  time  in  tlie  employ  of  tlie  Alaska  Counuercial  Company. 

*  Dawson  City  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thron-Dinck 
jiow  known  as  Klondyke,  and  although  it  was  located  only  a  few 
months  ago  it  is  the  scene  of  great  activity.  Very  rich  dejjosits 
of  gold  have  been  lately  found  on  l^onanza  Ci'oek  and  otlier 
affluents  of  the  Thron-Diuck. 


')  t 


80 


KL ONh  YKE  P'A  CTS. 


''  It  appears  that  tlie  Indians  go  up  this  stream  a  long 
distance  to  hunt,  but  I  could  learn  nothing  definite  as  to 
their  statements  concerning  it. 

"  Twelve  and  a  half  miles  below  Fort  Reliance,  tlio 
Chandindu  River,  as  named  by  Sehwatka,  enters  from  the 
east.  It  is  thirty  to  forty  yards  wide  at  the  mouth,  very 
shallow,  and  for  half  a  mile  up  is  one  continuous  rapid. 
Its  valley  is  Avide  and  can  be  seen  for  a  long  distance  look- 
ing north-eastward  from  the  mouth. 

''  Between  Fort  Reliance  and  Forty  Mile  River  (called 
Cone  Hill  River  by  Sehwatka)  the  Yukon  assumes  its  nor- 
mal appearance,  luiving  fewer  islands  and  being  narrower, 
averaging  four  to  six  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  current 
being  more  regular.  This  stretch  is  forty-six  miles  long, 
but  was  estimated  by  the  traders  at  forty,  from  which  the 
Forty  Mile  River  took  its  name. 

"Forty  Mile  River*  joins  the  main  river  from  the  west. 
Its  general  course  as  far  upas  the  International  Boundary, 
a  distance  of  twenty-three  miles,  is  south-west ;  after  this 

*  Forty  Mile  townsite  is  .situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  Forty 
Mile  River  at  its  junction  with  the  Yukon.  The  Alaska  Commer- 
cial Company  has  a  station  here  which  was  for  some  years  in 
charge  of  L.  N.  McQuestion  ;  there  are  also  several  blacksmith 
shops,  restaurants,  billiard  halls,  bakeries,  an  opera  liouse  and  so 
on.  Rather  nioi'e  than  half  a  mile  below  Forty  Mile  townsite  the 
town  of  Cudaliy  was  founded  on  tlie  north  side  of  Forty  Mile 
River  in  the  summer  of  1892.  It  is  named  after  a  well  known 
member  of  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
pany. In  population  and  extent  of  business  the  town  bears  com- 
parison with  its  neighbor  across  the  river.  Tlie  opposition  in 
trade  has  been  the  means  of  very  materially  reducing  the  cost  of 
supplios  and  liviMg.  The  North  American  Transportation  and 
Trading  Company  lias  erected  a  saw-mill  and  some  large  ware- 
liouses.  Fort  Constantine  was  established  here  immediately  upon 
the  arrival  of  the  Mounted  Police  detachment  in  the  latter  part  of 
July ,  1 89.").  It  is  described  further  on  in  an  extract  from  Inspector 
Constautine's  supplementary  report  for  the  year  1895. 


o 
» 

H 

n 

q 
s 

► 

H 

a 

H 

Ol 

W 

93 
H 
H 
O 

•S 

o 

K 
O 

O 

2 

ft 


*■» 


^VT^J"-" 


>^ 

o 
51 
H 

O 

a 
o 

► 

B 
d 

n 

K 

H 
O 

•a 

O 
91 

a 

>■ 

O 

2 


of 
ntor 


Ini 


■ ' 


5ip 


•^l 


KLONDVKE  FACTS. 


81 


it  is  rej)orted  by  the  miners  to  run  nearer  south.  Miiiiy 
of  them  claim  to  liave  ascended  this  stream  for  more  tliaii 
one  hundred  miles,  and  speak  of  it  there  as  quite  a  large 
river.  They  say  that  at  that  distance  it  has  reached  tlie 
level  of  the  plateau,  and  the  country  adjoining  it  they 
describe  as  ilat  and  swampy,  rising  very  little  above  the 
river.  It  is  only  a  short  distance  across  to  the  Tanana 
River — a  large  tributary  of  the  Yukon — which  is  here  de- 
scribed as  an  important  stream.  However,  only  about 
twenty-three  miles  of  Forty  Mile  Kiver  are  in  Canada ; 
and  the  upper  part  of  it  and  its  relation  to  other  rivers  in 
the  district  have  no  direct  interest  for  us. 

"Forty  Mile  River  is  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  aiul 
fifty  yards  wide  at  the  mouth,  and  the  current  is  generally 
strong,  with  many  small  rapids.  Eight  miles  up  is  the 
so-called  cafion  ;  it  is  hardly  entitled  to  that  distinctive 
name,  being  simply  a  crooked  contraction  of  the  river,  with 
steep  rocky  banks,  and  on  the  north  side  there  is  plenty  of 
room  to  walk  along  the  beach.  At  the  lower  end  of  the 
cafion  there  is  a  short  turn  and  swift  water  in  which  are 
some  large  rocks;  these  cannot  generally  be  seen,  and  there 
h  .  ich  danger  of  striking  them  running  down  in  a  boat. 
At  this  point  several  miners  have  been  drowned  by  their 
boats  being  upset  in  collision  with  these  rocks.  It  is  no 
great  distance  to  either  shore,  and  one  would  think  an 
ordinary  swimmer  would  have  no  difficulty  in  reaching 
land  ;  but  the  coldness  of  the  water  soon  benumbs  a  man 
completely  and  renders  him  powerless.  In  the  summer  of 
1887,  an  Indian,  from  Tanana,  with  his  family,  was  com- 
ing doAvn  to  trade  at  the  post  at  the  mouth  of  Forty  Mile 
River  ;  his  canoe  struck  on  these  rocks  and  upset,  and  he 
was  thrown  clear  of  the  canoe,  but  the  woman  and  children 
clung  to  it.  In  the  rough  water  he  lost  sight  of  them,  and 
concluded  that  they  were  lost  :  it  is  said  he  deliberately 

drew  his  knife  and  cut  his  throat,  thus  perishing,  while 
6 


82 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


his  family  were  hauled  ashore  by  some  miners.  The  chief 
of  the  band  to  which  this  Indian  belonged  came  to  the  post 
and  demanded  pay  for  his  loss^,  wliicli  ho  contended  was 
occasioned  by  the  traders  having  moved  fi'om  Belle  Isle  to 
Forty  MiiC,  thus  causing  them  to  descend  this  dangerous 
rapid,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  had  tliere  not  been  so 
many  white  men  in  the  vicinity  he  ould  have  tried  to 
enforce  his  demand. 

''The  length  of  the  so-called  caflon  is  about  a  mile. 
Above  it  the  river  up  to  the  boundary  is  generally  smooth, 
with  swift  current  and  an  occasional  ripple.  'I'hc  amount 
of  water  discharged  l)y  this  stream  is  considerable  ;  but 
there  is  no  prospect  of  navigation,  it  being  so  swift  and 
broken  by  snuiU  rapids. 

"From  Forty  Mile  Kivcr  to  the  boundary  tlie  Yukon 
preserves  the  same  general  character  as  between  Fort  Reli- 
ance and  Forty  Mile,  the  greatest  width  being  about  half 
a  mile  and  the  least  about  a  (piartcr. 

Fifteen  miles  below  Forty  Mile  KMver  a  large  mass  of 
rock  stands  on  tlu;  east  bank.  This  was  named  by 
iSchwatka  '  l{o(piette  Kock.'  Imt  is  known  to  the  traders 
as  Old  Wonuui  Rock  ;  a  siniihir  mass,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  being  known  as  Ohl  Man  Rcx^k. 

"The  origin  of  these  names  is  an  Indian  legend,  of 
which  the  following  is  the  version  given  to  me  by  the 
ti'aders  : — 

"  In  remote  ages  there  lived  a  ])owerful  shaman,  pro- 
nounced Tshaumon  by  the  Indians,  this  l)eing  the  local 
name  for  what  is  known  as  medicine  man  among  the  In- 
dians farther  south  and  east.  IMie  'I'shaunien  holds  a  posi- 
tion and  exercises  an  inlhieiiee  among  the  |)e()|)le  he  lives 
with,  something  akin  tn  t  he  wise  men  ni-  magi  of  olden  times 
in  the  East.  In  this  powerful  being's  locality  there  lived 
a  poor  man  who  had  the  great  misfortune  to  have  iin  invet- 
erate scold  for  a  wife.     lie  bore  the  inlliction  foi'  a  long 


ELONLYKE  FACTS. 


S8 


time  without  Timrmuring,  in  hopes  that  slie  would  relent, 
but  time  seemed  only  to  increase  the  affliction  ;  at  length, 
growing  weary  of  the  unceasing  torment,  lie  eom])lained 
to  the  TsliauiiR'ii  who  comforted  him,  and  sent  him  home 
with  the  assurance  that  all  would  soon  be  well. 

"  Shortly  after  this  he  went  out  to  hunt,,  and  remained 
away  for  many  days  endeavoring  to  get  some  provisions 
for  home  use,  but  without  avail ;  he  returned  weary  and 
hungry,  only  to  be  met  by  his  wife  with  a  more  than 
usually  violent  outburst  of  scolding.  Tliis  so  provoked 
him  that  he  gathered  all  ids  strength  and  energy  for  one 
grand  effort  and  gave  her  a  kick  that  sent  her  clean  across 
the  river.  On  landing  she  was  converted  into  the  mass  of 
rock  which  remains  to  this  day  a  memorial  of  her  vicious- 
ness  and  a  warning  to  all  future  scolds.  The  metamor- 
phosis was  effected  by  the  Tshaumen,  but  how  the  neces- 
sary force  was  acquired  to  send  lier  across  the  river  (here 
about  iudf  a  mile  wide),  or  whether  the  kick  was  adminis- 
tered by  the  Tshaumen  or  tlie  husband,  my  narrator  could 
not  say.  He  was  altogether  at  a  loss  to  account  for  con- 
version of  the  husband  into  the  mass  (»f  rock  on  the  Avest 
side  of  the  river  :  nor  can  1  offcu-  any  theory  uidess  it  is 
that  he  was  petrified  by  astonishment  at  the  result. 

"  Such  legends  as  this  would  be  of  interest  to  ethnologists 
if  they  could  be  procured  direct  from  the  Indians,  but 
repeated  by  men  who  have  little  or  no  knowledge  of  the 
utility  of  legendary  lore,  and  less  sympathy  with  it,  they 
lose  much  of  their  value. 

"  Between  Forty  Mile  IJiver  and  the  boundary  line  no 
stream  of  any  size  joins  the  Yukon  ;  in  fact,  there  is  only 
one  stream,  which  some  of  the  miners  have  named  Sheep 
Creek,  but  as  there  is  another  stream  further  down  the 
river,  called  by  the  same  name.  1  have  named  it  Coal 
Creek.  It  is  five  miles  below  Forty  Mile,  and  comes  iu 
from  the  east,  and  is  a  large  creek,  but  not  at  all  navigable, 


84 


KL ONI)  YKE  FA  CTS. 


On  it  some  extensive  coal  sojitns  were  seen,  wliieli  will  be 
more  fnlly  referred  to  further  on. 


"At  the  honndury  the  river  is  somewhat  contructe'  , 
and  measures  only  ly-i^O  feet  across  in  the  Avinter  ;  hut  in 
summer,  at  ordiiuiry  water  level,  it  would  be  about  one 
hundred  feet  wider.  Immediately  below  the  bouiulary  it 
expands  to  its  usual  width,  which  is  about  :^,00()  feet. 
The  area  of  the  cross  section  measured  is  ^^/^OH  feet,  the 
sectional  area  of  the  Teslintoo,  as  determined  by  J)r. 
Dawson  and  already  referred  to,  is  3,80!)  feet  ;  that  of  the 
licwes  at  the  Teslintoo,  from  the  same  authority,  is  3,015 
feet.  Had  the  above  cross-section  bct>n  reduced  to  the 
level  at  which  the  water  ordinarily  stands  durinc:  the  sum- 
iner  months,  instead  of  to  the  height  at  wdiich  it  stood  in 
tlie  middle  of  September  when  it  was  almost  at  its  lowest, 
the  sectional  area  would  have  been  at  least  50  per  cent 
moro,and  at  spring  flood  level  about  double  the  above  area. 

"  It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  <letermine  tlie  actual  discharge 
at  the  place  of  the  cross-section,  owing  to  the  irregularity 
in  the  depth  and  current,  the  latter  being  in  the  deep 
channel  at  the  east  side,  when  I  tried  it  in  September, 
approximately  4*8  miles  per  hour  ;  Avhile  on  the  bar  in 
midstream  it  was  not  more  than  2'5  miles  per  hour  ;  and 
between  the  bar  and  the  westerly  shore  there  was  very 
little  current. 

"  The  river  above  this  for  some  miles  was  no  better  for 
the  purpose  of  cross-section  measurement.  At  the  bound- 
ary it  is  narrow  and  clear  of  bars  and  islands  for  some 
miles,  but  here  I  did  not  have  on  opportunity  to  determine 
the  rate  of  the  current  before  the  river  froze  up,  and 
after  it  froze  the  drift  ice  was  jammed  and  piled  so  high 
that  it  would  have  been  an  almost  endless  task  to  cut  hole* 
through  it. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS.  gg 

The  current  from  the  boundary  down  to  tlie  confluence 
with  the  Porcupine  is  said  to  be  strong  and  nnich  tlie  same 
as  that  above ;  from  the  Porcupine  down,  for  a  distance 
of  five  or  six  hundred  miles  it  is  called  medium  and  the 
remainder  easy. 

From  Stewart  River  to  the  moutli  of  the  Yukon  is  about 
1,050  miles,  and  the  only  difficult  place  in  all  this  distance 
is  the  part  near  the  confluence  with  the  Porcupine,  which 
has  evidently  been  a  lake  in  past  ages  but  is  now  filled  with 
islands  :  it  is  said  that  the  current  here  is  swift,  and  tlie 
channels  generally  narrow,  rendering  navigation  difficult. 


i' 


80 


KLONUyKE  FACTiS. 


CHAPTER  in. 


ADVICE  TO   BEGINNEUS. 


Men"  who  are  thinking  of  going  to  the  Klondyke  regions 
and  taking  a  trip  of  this  character  for  the  first  time,  will 
do  well  to  carefully  read  the  chapter  on  "  Outfit  for 
Miners."  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  take  anything  except 
what  is  necessary  ;  the  trip  is  a  long  arduous  one,  and  a 
man  should  not  add  one  pound  of  baggage  to  his  outfit  that 
can  be  dispensed  with.  I  have  known  men  who  have 
loaded  themselves  up  with  rifles,  revolvers  and  shot-guns. 
This  is  entirely  unnecessary.  Eevolvers  will  get  you  into 
trouble,  and  there  is  no  use  of  taking  them  Avith  you,  as 
large  game  of  any  character  is  rarely  found  on  the  trip.  I 
have  prospected  through  this  region  for  some  years  and 
have  only  seen  one  moose.  You  will  not  see  any  large 
game  whatever  on  your  trip  from  Juneau  to  Dawson  City, 
therefore  do  not  take  any  firearms  along. 

You  will  find  a  list  of  the  implements  for  the  miner  in 
the  chapter  on  **  Outfit  for  Miners." 

The  miners  here  are  a  very  mixed  class  of  people.  They 
represent  many  nationalities  and  come  from  all  climates. 
Their  lives  are  certainly  not  enviable. 

The  regulation  miner's  cabin  is  12  by  14  with  walls  six 
feet  high  and  gables  eight  feet  in  height.  The  roof  is 
heavily  earthed  and  the  cabin  is  generally  kept  very  warm. 
Two,  or  sometimes  three  or  four  men  will  live  in  a  house  of 
this  size.     The  ventilation  is  usually  bad,  the  windows 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


87 


being  very  smiill.  Those  minors  who  do  not  work  their 
chiims  during  the  winter  confine  themselves  to  tliese  small 
huts  most  of  the  time.  A''ery  often  they  become  indolent 
uiid  careless,  only  eating  those  things  whicliare  most  easily 
cooked  or  prepared.  During  the  busy  time  in  summer 
when  they  are  shovelling  in,  they  work  hard  and  for  long 
hours,  sparing  little  time  for  eating  and  much  less  for 
cooking. 

This  manner  of  living  is  quite  common  amongst  begin- 
ners, and  soon  leads  to  debility  aiul  sometimes  to  scurvy. 
Old  miners  have  learned  from  expcricn(!e  to  value  health 
more  than  gold,  and  they  therefore  spare  no  exjiense  in 
procuring  the  best  and  most  varied  outfit  of  food  that  can 
bo  obtained. 

In  a  cold  climate  such  as  this,  where  it  is  impossible  to 
get  fresh  vegetables  and  fruits,  it  is  most  important  that 
the  best  substitutes  for  these  should  be  provided.  Natur( 
helps  to  supply  these  wants  by  growing  cranberries  and 
other  wild  fruits  in  abundance,  but  men  in  summer  are 
usually  too  busy  to  avail  themselves  of  these. 

The  diseases  met  with  in  this  country  are  dyspepsia, 
anaemia,  scurvy  caused  by  improperly  cooked  food,  same- 
ness of  diet,  overwork,  Avant  of  fresh  vegetables,  overheated 
and  badly  ventilated  houses ;  rheumatism,  pneumonia, 
bronchitis,  enteritis,  cystitis  and  other  acute  diseases,  from 
exposure  to  wet  and  cold ;  debility  and  chronic  diseases, 
due  to  excesses. 

Men  coming  to  Klondyke  should  be  sober,  strong  and 
healthy.  They  should  be  practical  men,  able  to  adapt 
themselves  quickly  to  their  surroundings.  Special  care 
should  be  taken  to  see  that  their  lungs  are  sound,  that 
they  are  free  from  rheumatism  and  rheumatic  tendency, 
and  that  their  joints,  especially  knee  joints,  are  strong  and 
have  never  been  weakened  by  injury,  synovitis  or  other 
disease.     It  is  also  very  important  to  consider  their  tem^ 


M 


88 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


penimonts.  Men  slioukl  bo  of  clieerful,  hopeful  disposi- 
tions Hiid  willing  workers.  Those  of  sullen,  morose  na- 
traros,  iilthough  they  nniy  be  good  workers,  are  very  apt, 
as  soon  as  the  novelty  of  the  country  wears  off,  to  become 
dissatisfied,  pessimistic  and  melancholy. 


I     i 


81- 
Ul- 
[)t, 

mo 


KLO^SDYKK  FACTS. 


89 


CHAPTER  IV. 


OUTFIT    FOR     MINERS. 


In  giving  any  advice  for  ontCits  for  minors,  I  should  first 
state  thii  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  })urcliase  anything  what- 
ever })el'ore  arriving  at  Juneau,  Alaska.  This  has  been  a 
supply  point  for  that  region  for  U])ward8  of  ten  years,  and 
store-keepers  and  su])ply  companies  carry  in  stock  ex- 
actly what  is  necessary  for  the  miners.  You  Avill  find  that 
their  prices  are  reasonable,  considering  the  difference  in 
cost  of  transportation  at  any  point  you  might  decide  to 
purchase  from  in  the  United  States  ;  in  fact  it  is  the  saving 
of  money  to  buy  in  Juneau. 

In  the  matter  of  clothing,  of  course,  it  must  be  left  to 
the  individual  taste  and  means  of  the  purchaser,  but  the 
miners  usually  adopt  the  native  costume  of  the  region. 
The  boots  are  generully  made  by  the  coast  Indians  and  are 
of  different  varieties.  The  water  boot  is  made  of  seal  and 
walrus.  It  is  imi)ortant  to  take  a  pair  of  rubber  boots 
along.  Additional  boots  can  be  purchased  at  Dawson 
City.  The  native  boots  cost  from  two  to  five  dollars  a  pair. 
Trousers  are  generally  nuide  from  Siberian  fawn  skins  and 
the  skin  of  the  marmot  or  the  ground  squirrel.  The  outer 
garments  are  generally  made  of  the  marmot  skin.  The 
people  at  Dawson  City  avIio  arc  not  engaged  in  mining, 
such  as  store-keepers,  clerks,  etc.,  generally  wear  these 
garments.  Good  warm  flannels  are  important.  Every- 
thing in  the  way  of  underwear  is  made  of  flannel,  such  as 
shirts.     The  cost  of  flannu  shirts  at  Dawson  City  is  $5.  Hub- 


90 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


ber  boots  at  Dawson  City  are  $10  to  112.00  a  pair,  Blankets 
and  robes  are  nsecl  for  bedding,  and  should  be  purchased 
at  Juneau.  Wolf  skins  make  the  best  robes.  Good  ones 
cost  1100  apiece,  but  cheaper  ones  can  be  obtained  from 
the  bear,  mink,  and  red  fox  and  Arctic  Hare.  Warm 
socks  are  made  from  the  skin  of  the  Arctic  Hare. 

If  you  have  any  delay  at  Juneau,  you  wiH,  probably, 
be  asked  to  take  trips  to  the  Giant  Glaciers,  but  my  ad- 
vice is  to  stay  in  Juneau  until  the  steamer  is  ready  to  start 
for  Dyea.  You  will  need  all  the  rest  you  can  get  before 
starting  up  the  Pass. 

In  the  matter  of  jirovisions,  the  following  is  a  list  which 
is  considered  sufficient  to  last  a  man  on  his  trip  from 
Juneau  to  Dawson  City  : — 

20  pounds  of  flour, 
12  pounds  of  bacon, 
12     '^         "  beans, 

4  '*         "  butter, 

5  <f         t(  vegetables, 

4  cans  oi  condensed  milk, 

5  pounds  of  sugar, 
1  pound  of  tea, 

3  pounds  of  coffee, 
1  1-2  pound  of  salt, 
5  pounds  of  corn  meal, 
A  small  portion  of  pepper  and  mustard. 

The  following  utensils  should  be  taken  : — 

1  frying  pan, 
1  water  kettle, 
1  Yukon  stove, 

1  bean  pot, 

2  plates, 


KLONDYKE  FACTS.  H 

1  tin  drinking  cup, 

1  tea  pot, 

1  knife  and  fork, 

1  large  and  1  small  cooking  pan. 

The  following  tools  should  be  brought  as  part  of  the  out- 
fit : — These  will  be  found  absolutely  necessary  to  build  a 
boat  at  Lake  Lindeman  : — 

1  jack  plane, 
1  whip  saw, 
1  cross-cut  saw, 
1  axe, 
1  hatchet, 
1  hunting-knife. 
6  pounds  of  assorted  nails, 
1  pound  of  oakum, 
5  pounds  of  pitch, 
150  feet  or  rope, 
1  Juneau  sled. 

It  is  also  necessary  to  have  one  good  dunk  tent  and  a 
rubber  blanket. 

A  good  pioco  of  mosquito  netting  Avill  not  be  heavy  and 
wil.  also  lie  very  groat  comfort  on  the  trip. 

Do  not  forgot  to  put  in  a  good  supply  of  matches,  and 
take  a  small  supply  of  fishing  tackle,  hooks,  etc. 

It  is  very  important  that  you  have  a  pair  of  snow  glasses 
to  guard  against  snow  blindness. 

It  will  oe  interesting  to  know  the  prices  at  Dawson  City 
for  supplies  : 

When  I  left  in  June,  1897. 
Flour  was  sold  in  50  pound  bags  at  $G.OO  a  bag. 
Fresii  beef  was  supplied  at  50  cents  a  pound. 
Bacon  was  40  cents. 


92 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


Coffee  was  50  cents  per  pound. 

Brown  sugar  was  20  cents  per  pound  and  granulated 
sugar  was  25  cents  a  pound. 

Condensed  milk  was  50  cents  per  can. 

Pick  axes  were  $0.00  each. 

Miners'  shovels  were  $2.00  each. 

Lumher  right  at  Dawson  City  Avas  $130.00  per  thousand 
feet  undressed,  and  $150.00  per  thousand  feet  dressed. 

It  is  well  ]ierhaps  to  advise  the  traveller  to  supply  him- 
self with  a  small  medicine  box  which  can  he  purchased  in 
Juneau,  but  it  is  not  necessary  if  he  enjoys  good  rugged 
health. 

On  arriving  at  Dawson  City,  luxuries  will  be  found  to  be 
very  high  ;  what  is  to  be  considered  a  very  ch  tip  cigar  in 
the  United  States,  two  for  5  cents,  sells  in  Dawson  City 
at  50  cents  each. 

Liquors  command  very  high  prices.  Whisky  sells  in 
the  saloons  for  50  cents  a  glass,  and  fluctuates  from  $15.00 
to  $25.00  per  gallon,  according  to  the  supplies  received 
from  the  at  present  overtaxed  transportation  companies. 
There  was  about  12,000  gallons  of  whisky  imported  into 
the  territory  from  Canada  the  past  year.  Smoking  tobacco 
was  selling  at  $1.50  a  pound  aiul  good  plug  cut  and  fancy 
tobacco  was  selling  at  $2.00  a  pound. 

The  demand  for  medicine  is  very  light,  but  the  local 
traders  carry  a  small  stock  of  patent  aiul  jiroprietary 
medicines. 


4> 


< 


KLONDYEE  FACTS. 


m 


CHAPTER  V. 


4' 


HOW  TO   STAKE  OUT  A   MINING   CLAIM. 

The  method  of  locating  a  claim  is  essentially  simple. 
It  is  peculiar  to  the  Klondyke  region  because  of  the  to- 
pography of  the  country.  I  refer  of  course  to  the  clain.s 
staked  out  for  placer  mining,  as  up  to  this  date  this  is  the 
only  mining  attempted  here.  Throughout  this  section  i;re 
numerous  small  streams  or  creeks,  running  through  nar- 
row valleys  between  the  foot-liills.  The  prospective  nnncr 
determiros  on  which  stream  to  hunt  for  the  precious  nietiil. 
and  havirg  made  a  "find"  he  stakes  out  his  claim  in  tlio 
folloAving  manner : 

In  staking  the  claim  the  prospector  must  not  exceed 
500  feet  up  and  down  the  creek,  the  general  course  of  the 
valley.  Tlie  width  of  the  claim  can  run  from  base  to  base 
of  the  hills  or  niountaiiis.  If  there  are  no  claims  located 
on  this  particular  stream,  the  claim  is  known  as  the  "'dis- 
covery claim ''  and  the  stakes  used  are  marked  0.  The  next 
claim  staked  a^^  you  proceed  up  tlie  creek  is  marked  Ko.  1. 
as  is  the  next  claim  going  (Io?vn  the  stream.  There  can  be 
but  two  claims  marked  1  on  any  one  stream.  The  4  stakes 
being  driven  and  each  marked  with  your  own  initials,  and 
the  letters  ^l.  L.  (meaning  mining  location),  you  must 
bound  your  claim  with  cross  or  end  lines,  and  then  proceed 
within  sixty  days,  to  lile  the  claim  with  the  government's 
recorder  at  Dawson  City.  The  recorder  at  present  is  also 
the  gold  commissioner.  In  recording,  affidavits  must  be 
made  that  the  claim  is  proijerly  staked,  and  date  given,  and 


WW^B^^BSS 


94 


KL  ON  DYKE  FACTS. 


gold  been  foim(L  The  number  of  claim  must  also  be  given, 
and  if  it  is  not  the  discovery  claim  it  must  be  mentioned  as 
for  instance,  ^^o.  1  or  No.  10  above  or  below  ''discovery 
claim,''  as  the  case  may  be.  If  a  claim  should  be  staked  be- 
fore gold  is  discovered  thereon,  the  prospector  has  sixty  days 
in  which  to  prosecute  the  search  for  gold.  If  when  this 
time  has  expired  he  is  yet  unsuccessful,  he  can  no  longer 
hold  this  claim,  as  the  finding  of  the  metal  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  the  permanent  holding  of  the  claim. 

The  method  for  staking  a  quartz  claim  is  similar.  Here 
you  lay  out  a  claim  1600  feet  long  by  (JOO  feet  wide.  The 
stakes  are  marked  as  in  placer  claims  and  the  same  rules 
govern  in  regard  to  finding  of  gold  and  filing  the  claims. 
The  miner  having  filed  his  claim,  it  is  necessary  that  ho  work 
the  claim  three  consecutive  months  each  year.  These  re- 
quirements though  simple  are  imperatively  necessary  for 
the  protection  of  the  miner,  for  should  a  miner  attempt  to 
work  a  claim  without  first  properly  staking  and  recording 
the  same,  any  one  could  come  in,  work  on  the  property, 
properly  stake  and  hold  the  claim,  and  so  compel  the  first 
man  to  leave.  A  prospector  can  file  but  one  claim.  Others 
he  may  acquire  must  be  by  purchase  nnd  the  bill  of  sale 
properly  recorded  at  time  of  transfer.  .Should  he  abandon 
a  claim  he  can  of  course  locate  another. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


95 


Hi 


CHAPTER  VI. 


PLACER   SIIJsriNG. 


'  I! 


Mining  operations  are  thus  far  altogether  placer  min- 
ing, for  the  reason  that  the  first  discovery  was  of  that  na- 
ture and  because  no  machinery  was  required.  In  fact  no 
machinery  was  immedi  ,tely  accessible,  there  being  none 
in  the  territory.  Place,  mining  is  the  crudest  and  most 
primitive  kind  of  mining  and  the  cheapest  to  operate. 
As  conducted  at  DaAvson  City  it  consists  simply  in  sink- 
ing a  shaft  to  bed  rock  and  then  tunnelling  in  various  di- 
rections. The  ground  is  always  frozen  solid  in  winter, 
and  in  summer  below  a  depth  of  two  feet,  and  there  is  no 
need  of  shoring  as  there  is  no  danger  of  its  caving.  These 
conditions  are  peculiar  to  this  interesting  region,  and  in 
no  other  part  of  the  Avorld  can  shafts  be  sunk  and  tunnels 
made  without  great  expense  and  loss  of  time  in  timbering 
and  shoring,  besides  the  loss  of  pay  dirt  in  leaving  columns 
standing,  as  is  necessary  anywhere  else. 

The  pay  dirt  is  taken  out  by  a  small  windlass  worked  by 
hand  and  is  simply  thrown  into  a  heap  where  it  remains 
until  spring,  Avhen  it  is  washed  out. 

The  depth  necessary  to  go  to  reach  bed  rock — and  it  is 
always  profitable  to  go  to  bed  rock — varies  from  four  to 
twenty  feet. 

The  gold  is  found  in  nuggets,  grains  and  dust.  The 
largest  nugget  found  in  the  mines  first  discovered  weighed 
forty  ounces  and  was  worth  perhaps  five  hundred  dollars, 


•is     m 


■m 

m 


96 


KL  OND  YKK  FA  CTS. 


I 


and  from  that  size  tliey  run  down  to  small  grains  of  pure 
gold.     Nuggets  weighing  several  ounces  are  quite  common. 

I  know  of  hut  one'  quartz  mine  located  and  staked  thus 
far  in  the  Klondyke  region,  hut  there  are  undoubtedly 
many  and  rich  quartz  mines  in  this  section  that  will  he  lo- 
cated and  staked  in  the  near  future  when  machinery  can 
be  brought  in. 

In  jDlaccr  mining  the  bed  rock  is  often  seamy  and  the 
gold  is  lodged  in  the  seams  and  crevices.  "When  these 
conditions  exist  the  miners  dig  up  the  bed  rock  often  to 
the  depth  of  four  feet  and  the  richest  finds  have  been 
taken  in  that  way.  In  fact  the  methods  of  placer  mining 
are  peculiar  to  this  strange  and  marvellously  rich  mineral 
country.  The  same  methods  and  conditions  do  not  exist 
anywhere  else  in  the  known  world. 

As  I  have  said  above,  the  pay  dirt,  when  hoisted  to  the 
surface,  is  thrown  into  a  i)ile  and  allow^ed  to  remain  until 
spring,  when  it  is  washed.  The  cost  of  lumber  for  sluice 
boxes,  etc.,  is  at  this  writing  1130,  and  for  planed  lumber 
1150  per  thousand  feet. 

As  very  few  outside  of  mining  communities  understand 
anything  of  the  nomenclature  of  the  craft,  or  of  the 
methods  employed  to  separate  the  very  small  quantities  of 
the  precious  metal  from  the  baser  material  with  which  it 
is  associated,  a  short  description  will  not  be  out  of  place. 

When  a  miner  *' strikes  "a  bar  he  ''prospects"  it  by 
washing  a  few  panfuls  of  the  gravel  or  sand  of  which  it 
is  composed.  According  to  the  number  of  ''colors  "  he 
finds  to  the  pan,  that  is,  the  number  of  specks  of  gold  he 
can  see  in  his  pan  after  all  the  dirt  has  been  washed  out, 
he  judges  of  its  richness.  Many  of  them  have  had  so  much 
experience  that  th-ey  can  tell  in  a  few  minutes,  very  nearly, 
how  much  a  bar  will  yield  per  day  to  the  man. 

The  process  of  "placer"  mining  is  about  as  follows: 


^ 


THBZfLACEB  MINBR'a  TOOLS 


9     I 


4     ;  Hi; 


\m 


K  LOS  DYKE  FACTS. 


97 


After  ck'iiriug  all  the  coarse  gravel  and  stone  olV  a  patch 
of  ground,  the  miner  lifts  a  little  of  the  liner  gravel  or 
sand  in  his  pan,  which  is  a  l)road,  shallow  dish,  made  of 
strong  sheet  iron  ;  he  then  puts  in  water  enough  to  fill  the 
pan,  and  gives  it  a  few  rapid  whirls  and  shakes  ;  this  tends 
to  hring  the  gold  to  the  hottom  on  account  of  its  greater 
specific  gravity.  The  dish  is  tlien  shaken  and  held  in 
such  a  way  that  the  gravel  and  sand  are  gradually  washed 
out,  care  being  taken  as  the  process  nears  completion  to 
avoid  letting  out  the  finer  and  heavier  parts  that  have 
settled  to  the  bottom.  Finally  all  that  is  left  in  the  pan 
is  whatever  gold  may  have  been  in  the  dish  and  some  black 
sand  which  almost  invariably  accompanies  it. 

This  black  sand  is  nothing  but  pulverized  magnetic  iron 
ore.  Should  the  gold  thus  found  be  fine,  the  contents  of 
the  pan  are  thrown  into  a  barrel  containing  water  and  a 
pound  or  two  of  mercury.  As  soon  as  the  gold  comes  in 
contact  with  the  mercury  it  combines  with  it  and  fornis  an 
amalgam.  The  process  is  continued  until  enough  amal- 
gam has  been  formed  to  pay  for  ^' roasting"  or  ''firing.* 

It  is  then  squeezed  through  a  buckskin  bag,  all  the 
mercury  that  conies:  through  the  bag  being  put  back  into 
the  barrel  to  serve  aj^ain,  and  what  remains  in  the  bag  is 
placed  in  a  retort,  if  the  miner  has  one,  or,  if  not,  on  a 
shovel,  and  heated  until  nearly  all  the  mercury  is  vaporized. 
The  gold  then  remains  in  a  lumj)  with  some  mercury  still 
held  in  combination  with  it. 

This  is  called  the  ''pan"  or  "hand"  method,  and  is 
never,  on  account  of  its  slowness  and  laboriousness, 
continued  for  any  length  of  time  Avhen  it  is  possible  to 
procure  a  "  rocker  "  or  to  make  and  work  sluices. 

A  "rocker"  is  simply  a  box  about  three  feet  long  and 
two  wide,  made  in  two  parts,  the  top  part  being  shallow, 
w"th  a  heavy  sheet  iron  bottom,  which  is  punched  full 
7      , 


98 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


of  quarter-inch  holes.  The  other  part  of  tlic  box  is  fitted 
with  an  inclined  shelf  about  midway  in  its  depth,  which 
is  six  or  eight  inches  lower  at  its  lower  end  than  at  its  upper. 
Over  this  is  placed  a  piece  of  heavy  woollen  blanket. 
Tlie  whole  is  then  mounted  on  tM'O  rockers,  much  resen*- 
bling  those  of  an  ordinary  cradle,  and  when  in  use  they  are 
placed  on  two  blocks  of  wood  so  that  the  wliole  may  be 
readily  rocked.  After  the  miner  has  selected  his  claim, 
he  looks  for  the.  most  convenient  place  to  set  up  liis 
"  rocker,"  which  must  be  near  a  good  supply  of  water. 
Then  he  proceeds  to  clear  away  all  the  stones  and  coarse 
gravel,  gathering  the  finer  gravel  and  sand  in  a  heap  near 
the  ''  rocker."  The  shallow  box  on  top  is  filled  with  this, 
and  with  one  hand  the  miner  rocks  it,  while  Avith  the 
other  he  ladles  in  water.  The  finer  matter  with  the 
gold  falls  through  the  holes  on  to  the  blanket,  which 
clucks  its  progress,  and  holds  the  fine  particles  of  gold, 
while  the  sand  and  other  matter  pass  over  it  to  the  bottom 
of  the  box,  which  is  sloped  so  that  what  comes  through  is 
washed  downwards  and  finally  out  of  the  box.  Across  the 
bottom  of  the  box  are  fixed  thin  slats,  behind  which  some 
mercury  is  i)laced  to  catch  any  particles  of  gold  which 
may  escape  the  blanket.  If  the  gold  is  nuggety,  the 
large  nuggets  are  found  in  the  upper  box,  their  weight 
detaining  them  until  all  the  lighter  stuff  has  passed 
through,  and  the  smaller  ones  are  held  by  a  deeper 
slat  at  the  outward  end  of  the  bottom  of  the  box.  The 
piece  of  blanket  is,  at  intervals,  taken  out  and  rinsed 
into  a  barrel  ;  if  the  gold  is  fine,  mercury  is  placed  at  the 
bottom  of  the  barrel,  as  already  mentioned. 

Sluicing  is  always  employed  when  possible.  It  requires 
a  good  supply  of  water  with  sufficient  head  or  fulls.  The 
process  is  as  follows  :  Planks  are  procured  and  formed 
into  a  box  of  suitable  width  and  depth.     Slats  are  fixed 


' 


KLONhYKE  FACTS. 


99 


across  the  bottom  of  tho  box  at  suitiiblo  intorvals,  or  shallow 
holes  bored  in  tho  bottom  in  such  order  that  no  particle 
eoiild  run  ulonjLij  the  bottom  in  a  stn;ig'ht  line  r.nd  escape 
without  running  over  a  hole.  Sevei-al  of  these  boxes  are 
then  si't  u])  with  a  considenihlt!  slo[:e  and  are  fitted  into 
one  another  a.^  the  ends  like  a  stove-pipe.  A  stream  of 
water  is  now  directed  into  the  upper  end  of  the  highest 
box.  The  gravel  having  been  collected,  as  in  the  ease  of 
the  rocker,  it  is  shovelled  into  theup})cr  box  and  is  washed 
downwards  ])y  tho  strong  current  of  Avater.  The  gold  is 
detained  l)y  its  Aveight,  and  is  held  by  the  slats  or  in  tho 
holes  mentioned  ;  if  it  is  line,  mercury  is  placed  behii.d 
the  slats  or  in  these  holes  to  catch  it.  In  this  way  about 
three  times  as  much  dirt  can  be  washed  as  l)y  tlie  rocker, 
and  consequently  three  times  as  much  gold  is  secured  in  a 
given  time.  After  the  boxes  are  done  Avith  they  are 
burned,  and  the  ashes  Avushed  for  the  gold  held  in  the 
Avood.* 


*  A  great  many  of  the  miners  si)en<l  their  time  in  the  summer 
prospecting  and  in  tlie  Avinter  resort  to  a  metliotl  lately  adopted 
and  which  i.i  called  "  bin-ning."  They  make  lircs  on  the  surface 
thus  thawing  the  gound  until  the  hcd  rock  is  reached,  then  drift 
and  tunnel ;  t!ie  pay  dirt  is  brought  to  the  sui-face  and  heaped  in 
a  pile  until  spring  when  water  can  be  obtained.  -  Tiie  sluice  boxes 
are  then  sot  up  and  the  dirt  is  washed  out,  tluis  enabling  the 
miner  to  Avork  advantageously  and  profitably  the  year  round. 
This  method  has  been  found  Aery  satisfactory  in  jtlaccs  Avliere  the 
pay  streak  is  at  any  great  ilepth  fx'om  the  surface.  In  this  Avay 
the  comphuntis  overcome  which  has  been  so  commonly  advanced 
by  miners  and  others  that  in  the  Yukon  several  months  of  the 
year  are  lost  in  idleness.  Winter  usually  sets  in  very  soon  after 
the  middle  of  September  and  continues  until  the  beginning  of 
June  and  is  decidedly  cold.  The  mercury  frequently  falls  to  60 
degrees  below  zero,  but  in  the  interior  there  is  so  little  humidity 
in  the  atmosphere  that  the  cold  is  more  easily  endured  then  on  the 
coast.    In  the  absence  of  thermometers,  miners,  it  is  said,  leavo 


100 


KL OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


their  mercury  out  all  night :  when  they  find  it  frozen  solid  in  the 
morninK  they  conclude  that  it  is  too  cold  to  work  and  stay  at 
home.  The  temperature  runs  to  great  extremes  in  summer  as 
well  as  in  the  winter  ;  it  is  quite  a  common  thing  Toi-  the  ther- 
mometers to  register  100  degrees  in  the  shade. 


the 

at 

■  art 

ler- 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS. 


101 


CHAPTER    YII. 


MINING    LAAV    AND    ORDER 


The  reader  of  course  iinderstjin<ls  that  Alaska  and  the 
Northwest  1'erritory  are  adjacent.  I  conlinc  myself  al- 
most altogether  to  the  Klondyke  rogi(m,  because  by  far  the 
richest  finds  arc  there,  and  jire  therefore  most  interesting  to 
the  reader.  As  the  Klondyke  is  in  Canadian  Territory  it 
is  of  course  governed  by  Canadian  laws. 

Probably  in  no  other  mining  camp  is  so  good  order  main- 
tained, such  respect  for  the  life,  property  and  the  rights 
of  others,  as  in  the  Klondyke  region.  So  far,  notwith- 
standing the  mad  rush  to  locate  claims  and  the  apparently 
fabulous  richness  of  those  claims,  no  murder  has  been  com- 
mitted and  no  theft  reported.  The  disorder,  confusion 
and  disregt'^d  of  life  and  the  rights  of  others  that  exists 
in  many  other  mining  camps,  where  might  usurps  the  place 
of  right,  finds  no  place  in  the  Klondyke.  But  one  at- 
tempt has  been  made  to  jump  a  claim  and  that  man  has 
regretted  his  error  ever  since  and  has  become  a  good,  law- 
abiding  citizen,  lie  was  punished  by  being  black-listed 
by  the  gold  commissioner  at  Dawson  City.  This  prohibits 
him  from  ever  after  locating  or  filing  a  claim  in  the  entire 
Northwest  Territory.  1'he  most  severe  and,  under  the 
circumstances,  fearful  penalty  that  could  be  imposed,  for 


102 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


no  matter  how  rich  Ji  find  ho  may  make  he  can  never 
chihn  it. 

It  will  ijc  many  a  long  day  indeed  with  this  example  as  a, 
warning,  hcl'ore  the  offence  will  bo  repeated  in  this  terri- 
tory.' There  was  one  other  case  where  a  man  had  a  friend 
take  out  a  claim  for  him,  and  prior  to  the  sixty-day  limit 
this  friend  took  an  affidavit  that  he  had  located  the  claim 
him.self  and  found  gold,  thus  attempting  to  register  the 
claim  as  his  own.  The  fraud  was,  hoAvcver,  discovered  and 
the  claim  registered  in  the  name  of  the  rightful  owner. 
The  perpetrator  of  the  attem^jted  fraud  was  black-listed 
and  prohibited  forever  from  locating  or  fding  a  claim  in 
the  Northwest  Territc'v.  A  frightful  punishment  indeed  ! 
These  two  are  the  only  cases  thus  far,  of  attempted  frauds 
in  this  respect.  The  region  is  patrolled  by  the  Xorthwest 
Mounted  Police,  under  Captain  Constantino,  and  the  force 
is  ample  to  protect  all  in  their  rights,  and  render  life  rea- 
sonably securo.  Offeiulers  are  promptly  arrested  and  as 
promptly  punished. 

Mouiited  Police  jiosts  are  rapidly  being  established  at  reg- 
ular intervals,  so  that  the  entire  country  will  be  thoroughly 
patrolled.  As  another  instance  of  the  severe  penalties  im- 
posed for  violations  of  the  mining  laws,  and  rights  of  min- 
ers, I  may  mention  that  if  any  person  destroys  or  pulls 
the  stakes,  or  in  any  manner  defaces  or  mutilates  the 
boundaries  of  a  claim,  the  penalty  is  seven  years'  impris- 
onment. 

There  is  a  m;vgi.strato  at  Dawson  City.  Offenders  are 
arrested,  taken  before  him  and  given  a  fair  trial.  There 
are  no  nuners*  meetings  permitted,  as  has  l)een  the  case  in 
other  mining  camps  in  the  past,  where  lynch  law  prevailed, 
and  great  injustice  was  often  done.  All  disputes  must  be 
passed  upon  l)y  the  gold  commissioiu'r  a[)poiuted  by  the 
Canadian  Govcrnmeut,  so  none   need  fear  going  to   the 


ii 

I 


c 


mmmimmmi^mmim>9fi 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


103 


Klondyke  because  of  the  instability  of  law  and  order,  and 
though  of  course  while  human  nature  remains  as  it  is  no 
Garden  of  Eden  is  possible,  you  arc  as  safe  in  the  Klondyke 
as  elsewhere. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  population  thus  far — and  so  it 
will  undoubtedly  continue — is  the  very  best  element  to  be 
found  in  any  region.  ^Merchants,  bankers,  lawyers  and 
other  professional  men  are  there  in  large  numbers.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  the  community  is  so  quiet  and  law  and 
order  so  successfully  maintained.  For,  after  all,  on  the  char- 
acter of  its  citizens  is  the  law  and  order  of  any  community 
dependent. 

I  strongly  advise  all  intending  settlers  to  leave  behind  all 
firearms,  as  there  is  no  necessity  for  them.  Those  who 
brought  them  have  no  use  for  them  and  are  endeavoring 
to  dispose  of  them.  Rifles  and  shotguns  are  heavy  and  add 
recdless  weight  to  the  outfit.  No  dependence  can  be 
p'aced  on  finding  of  game.  In  the  past  two  years  in  my 
joornoyings  over  these  ranges  I  have  seen  but  one  moose, 
i?e  you  will  see  the  uselessness  of  rifles  as  an  aid  of  pro- 


ii«;M; 


^iirii'g  food,  as  dependence  must  be  placed  entirely  upon 
pi  -vi' 'ons.  These,  I  think,  are  strong  reasons  why  rifles 
and  siiotgun^.  should  not  l)e  carried,  and  I  would  go  farther 
and  advise  that  even  revolvers  be  not  carried,  as  they  are 
more  apt  to  get  you  into  trouble  than  any  good  they  may 
do.  In  all  my  fifteen  years'  experience  in  this  region  I  have 
rarely  carried  even  a  revolver,  and  have  finally  found  it  so 
u!\necessary  as  to  dispense  with  it  entirely.  As  my  neigh- 
bors concur  in  my  opinion  on  this  subject,  the  miner  so 
iamihar  to  the  Calif ornians  in  '4!),  filled  with  profanity 
and  armed  to  the  teeth,  is  an  unknown  quantity  in  Klon- 
dyke. At  a  conference  of  cabinet  ministers  held  at  Dawson 
City,  July  23d,  1807,  the  question  discussed  was  the  customs 
aspect  of  the  Yukon  question.     A  special  customs  ofticcr 


104 


KLOND YKE  FA CTS. 


was  appointed  for  the  Yukon  distriet  and  two  customs  offi- 
cers appointed  for  the  AVhite  and  Dyea  passes,  so  that  all 
goods  going  in  hot  bought  in  Canada  markets  will  have 
to  pay  full  cust'"n;.s  dues. 

In  view  of  the  .  lat  the  mining  operations  on  United 

States  soil  ure  alrea^  ;uite  extensive  and  quite  sure  to  in- 
crease, I  append  the  following  despatch  from  Washington 
under  date  of  July  20,  1807,  to  show  that  law  and  order 
will  be  maintained  on  both  sides  of  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  two  countries. 


WasJ/ingtofi,  J\x\y  2G. 

The  President  and  Secretary  Alger  have  decided  to  de- 
tail an  army  officer  and  a  company  of  soldiers  from  the 
regular  army  for  service  in  Alaska.  The  matter  is  yet  in 
very  indefinite  shape,  but  details  will  be  arranged  as  soon 
as  possible  in  order  that  the  soldiers  may  get  into  tiio 
vicinity  of  the  gold  country  before  navigation  closes  on 
the  Yukon  Eiver.  They  Avill  be  sent  to  their  destiiuition 
via  the  Yukon  River  route,  and  the  offer  of  one  of  the 
shipping  companies  on  the  Pacific  coast  to  transport  the 
men  and  their  baggage  and  stores  Avill  proba1)ly  be  accepted. 

The  exact  location  of  the  cam})  ])()st  has  not  yet  been 
dcterminei  on,  but  it  is  expected  to  be  at  Circle  City.  An 
army  officer  now  in  the  field  wlio  has  had  experience  in 
such  matters  has  been  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  com- 
pany, and  an  answer  is  expected  from  him  very  soon.  The 
detail  of  men  who  will  go  will  be  made  from  one  of 
the  posts  in  the  AVest,  but  just  which  one  is  not  yet  finally 
settled  on.  The  officials  are  anxious  to  locate  the  soldiers 
in  the  gold  country  as  soon  as  possible,  and  if  it  can  bo 


li 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


105 


arranged  they  will  be  sent  on  the  steamer  sailing  early  iu 
August. 

In  view  of  the  recent  rush  of  travel  to  the  Klondyke 
gold  fields.  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Gago  has  established 
a  sub-port  of  entry  at  Dyea,  Alaska.  The  action  was  taken 
as  the  result  of  an  application  to  the  Treasury  Department 
by  Canada  for  permission  for  Canadian  vessels  to  enter 
at  Dyea,  Alaska,  and  land  passengers  and  baggage  there. 
Dyea  is  about  fifty  miles  north  of  Juneau,  anci  it  was  de- 
sired to  save  passengers  the  annoyance  of  disembarking  at 
Juneau  and  awaiting  another  steamer  for  Dyea,  the  head 
of  navigation  on  this  route  to  the  Yukon  frontier. 


Ottaim,  July  24. 

Hon.  W.  Paterson  has  been  informed,  in  reply  to  his 
request  that  Dyea  be  made  a  customs  pott  by  the  American 
Government,  that  such  has  been  done. 

It  is  also  agreed  to  send  a  man  Avith  the  goods  over  the 
summit  where  the  fees  could  be  collected  at  the  first  post 
in  what  is  acknowledged  to  be  Canadian  territory.  It  may 
be  that  the  Canadian  Customs  will  place  their  officer  at 
Dyea,  when  the  fees  could  be  paid  there.  Two  officers 
will  be  sent  up  from  Victoria,  one  for  each  of  those  Passes 
which  are  most  utilized  by  parties  sending  goods  into  the 
Yukon — the  White  and  the  Dyea. 


RATE  OF  TAX. 


Toronto,  July  28. 


The  Globe's  Ottawa  special  says  :  "At  a  Cabinet  Council 
yesterday  the  Yukon  was  again  under  consideration,  and 


106 


KLONDYKE  FAOTS. 


it  was  decided  that  the  royalty  to  be  levied  on  the  gold 
taken  out  of  that  country  would  be  10  per  cent,  on  all 
amounts  taken  out  of  any  one  claim  up  to  $500  a  week, 
and  after  that  20  per  cent.  And  in  addition  it  must  bo 
remembered  that  every  alternate  claim  is  to  be  reserved  by 
tlie  Government  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  revenue. 


Id 
ill 
k, 
lie 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


107 


*?» 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


M  I  N^  I  N  G      11  E  T  U  R  N  S. 


IN  the  Klonclyke  section,  from  January  to  April  1st, 
1897,  although  there  wore  only  four  liundred  and  fifty 
miners,  there  was  taken  out  in  this  section  alone  about 
84,000,000,  about  half  of  this  being  retained  in  the  coun- 
try, and  used  for  purchasing  fresh  supplies,  buying  claims, 
or  shares  in  claims,  jind  in  other  investments. 

The  balance  was  shipped  to  San  Francisco,  being  con- 
signed either  to  the  Govornment  Mint  or  to  Selby's  Smelt- 
ing Works,  the  transportation  companies  giving  the  miner 
a  receipt  for  it,  and  charging  him  about  two  and  a  half 
per  cent.,  which  includes  all  insurance,  and  guaranteeing 
safe  delivery  to  its  destination. 

Selby's  Smelting  "Works  at  San  Francisco  would  seem  to 
be  the  best  place  as  their  (charge  is  a  trifle  less  than  at  the 
Government  Mint.  At  the  mint  and  the  smelting  works 
the  gold  is  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  miner,  where  he  can 
obtain  the  money,  or  it  is  subject  to  a  sight  draft. 

As  already  stated,  about  two  millions  were  retained  in 
the  country  for  investment,  and  many  claims  changed 
hands,  as  high  as  $G0,000  or  1^100,000  being  paid  for  a 
single  claim  of  500  feet. 

The  gold  dust  is  valued  at  about  $17  an  ounce,  Troy    , 
weight  being  used  in  measurement.     The  principal  cur- 


108 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS. 


I ) 


U  '. 


.reiicy  at  Dawson  City,  liowovor,  is  gold  dust,  which  is 
accepted  for  everything.  Any  kind  of  currency,  however, 
is  accepted  there. 

What  we  know  as  Klondyko  is  known  tliere  as  The  Bo- 
nanza Mining  District,  and  the  Hunker's  Mining  District. 
I  have  asked  miners  wlio  have  been  in  Australia  and  Cali- 
fornia, and  they  say  they  have  never  seen  anything  like 
the  rich  returns  found  in  the  Klondyke  section.  I  have 
asked  miners  how  tliey  were  panning  out  on  their  claim, 
and  have  often  had  the  reply,  ''I  think  I  am  off  the  pay 
strike,  as  I  am  only  panning  out  130  or  $40  to  the  pan," 
— a  phenomenal  return  in  any  other  region  than  Klondyke. 
One  week  miners  were  getting  l?300  to  the  pan,  the  next 
week  they  might  only  get  l?15,  $20,  or  $30,  hut  they 
always  get  something. 

As  long  ago  as  1885  some  profitable  mining  was  done  in 
this  section,  and  on  this  point  I  quote  Mr.  Ogilvie.  ''  The 
Stewart  River  was  pretty  well  worked  for  the  seasons  of 
1885-8G  by  about  forty  men,  some  of  whom  made  at  least 
$5,000  Assuming  they  averaged  one-half  that  sum,  we 
have  $100,000  as  their  earnings.  Forty  Mile  River,  the 
only  other  stream  from  which  any  large  quantity  has  been 
taken,  was  worked  in  the  summer  of  1887  by  about  three 
hundred  men,  many  of  whom  spent  only  a  few  weeks  on 
the  river,  some  only  a  few  days.  Tiie  statement  made  by 
those  of  whom  I  inquired,  was,  that  all  who  Avorked  on  the 
river  for  any  length  of  time  made  a  'grub  stake.'  Put- 
ting this  at  the  lowest  value  I  placed  on  it,  $450,  and 
assuming  that  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  made  each  this 
sum,  we  have  $112,500  as  the  amount  taken  out  on  this 
stream.  I  have  heard  the  amount  placed  at  $130,000. 
All  the  gold  taken  from  the  other  streams  by  jjrospectors 
would  not  amount  to  more  than  a  few  thousand  dollars,  so 
that  it  is  probable  the  total  amount  taken  out  of  the  wliole 


KLOyDVKE  FACTS. 


109 


district  is  in  the  vicinity  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars, 
of  which  about  lialf  was  taken  out  in  our  territory. 

"I  learned  that  the  prevailing  high  water  interfered  xoy 
much  with  the  success  of  the  miners  in  the  season  of  '88, 
and  that  many  of  them  left  the  country  in  the  fall.  It  is 
probable,  hoAvever,  that  a  few  will  remain  prospecting  till 
something  rich  is  found." 

The  above  quotation  from  Mr.  Ogilvie's  report  for  that 
period  reads  very  strange  in  view  of  the  rich  strikes  made 
recently, 


^Tt- 

• 

and 

tnis 
this 
300. 

;  ,  ,    '   . 

tors 
,  so 

lole 

^ 

i« 


|i!B 


no 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


GAME,  AGRICULTURE  AND  TIMBER. 


9 1  V 


The  supply  of  large  game  is  very  limited  indeed.  Very 
lengthy  trips  have  been  taken  for  hunting  purposes.  There 
are  many  fur-hearing  animals,  which  include  the  black 
fox,  bear,  otter  and  mink.  The  fur  of  the  black  fox  is 
specially  valuable. 

Wlien  I  was  in  the  fur-trading  business  I  sold  a  black 
fox  skin  for  |!250,  There  is  considerable  small  game,  and 
rabbits  are  very  plentiful,  also  geese,  ducks  and  river- 
birds.  The  moose,  cariliou,  musk-ox  al)ound  very  much 
inward  and  toward  the  McKonzie  Basin. 

Horses  and  cattle  are  now  l)eing  constantly  shipped  from 
Seattle,  to  be  driven  over  the  Taiya  to  Chicat  pass.  They 
are  fed  on '' bunch  grass."  This  grass  is  very  nutritious 
and  grown  extensively.  I  have  seen  beef  fattened  better 
on  it  than  on  the  farms  in  Northern  New  York.  There 
are  vast  plains  covered  with  what  is  called  "  l)unch  grass," 
and  it  is  good  fodder  for  horses  and  cattle. 

Small  timber  is  quite  plentiful,  such  as  spruce,  etc., 
but  large  timber  is  scarce.  I  have  often  been  asked  how 
trees  grow  in  soil  that  is  frozen  the  year  round.  The  roots 
spread  out  near  the  surface,  adapting  themselves  to  the 
climate.  The  large  roots — tap  roots — are  Avanting.  I  cut 
a  large  birch  tree  on  one  of  the  islands  which  abound  in 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


Ill 


the  Yukon  and  found  the  roots  in  this  condition,  spread 
out  flat,  growing  near  tlio  surface,  and  there  were  two  or 
three  sets  of  roots,  one  above  the  other,  tlie  lower  onus 
partially  decayed,  owing  to  the  large  anioujit  of  sediment 
that  is  deposited  during  high  water  in  succeeding  seasons. 

Fishing  is  good  in  the  Yukon  Kiver  and  its  tributar)«^3. 
Salmon  is  very  plentiful  and  this  is  the  season  that  they 
are  running.  (J  ray  ling,  lake  trout  ami  small  fish  are 
easily  caught  in  the  streams.  Farm  vegetables  are  hard 
to  raise,  but  not  much  time  is  spent,  still  there  are  small 
farms  and  gardens  on  the  small  islaiuls  and  garden  truck 
is  raised  from  the  loth  of  May  to  tlie  loth  of  September, 
but  the  two  large  trading  companies  at  Dawson  City  carry 
a  large  stock  of  supplies  for  all  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity. 

The  following,  on  the  agricultural  capal)ilities  of  the 
Yukon  Basin  reported  by  Mr.  Ogilvie  will  l)e  interesting. 

"  The  agricultural  capabilities  of  the  country  along  the 
river  are  not  great,  nor  is  the  land  which  can  be  seen  from 
the  river  of  good  quality. 

"  AVlien  we  consider  further  the  unsuitable  climatic  coiuli- 
tions  which  prevail  in  the  region,  it  may  be  said  that  as 
an  agricultural  district  this  portion  of  the  country  will 
never  be  of  value. 

"■  My  meteorological  records  show  over  eight  degrees  of 
frost  oil  the  1st  of  August,  over  ten  on  the  od,  and  four 
times  during  the  month  the  minimum  temperature  was 
below  freezing.  On  the  loth  tSeptember  the  minimum 
temperature  was  10°,  ami  all  the  mininuim  readings  for 
the  remainder  of  the  month  were  below  freezing. 

"Along  the  east  side  of  Lake  Bcnnet,  opposite  the  Cliil- 
koot  or  western  arm,  there  are  some  Hats  of  dry  gravelly  soil, 
which  would  make  a  few  farms  of  limited  extent.  On  the 
west  side,  around  the  mouth  of  Wheaton  Kiver,  there  is  aa 


112 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


extensive  flat  of  sand  jind  gravel,  covered  with  small  pine 
and  spruce  of  stunted  growth.  The  vegetation  is  poor  and 
sparse,  not  at  all  what  ojie  would  desire  to  see  on  a  place 
upon  which  he  was  thinking  of  settling.  At  the  lower  end 
of  the  lake  there  is  another  extensive  flat  of  sandy  soil, 
thinly  clad  with  small  poplars  and  pines.  The  same  re- 
marks apply  to  this  flat  as  to  that  at  Wheaton  River, 

*'  Along  the  westerly  shore  of  Tagisli  Lake  there  is  a  large 
extent  of  low,  swampy  flats,  a  part  of  which  might  be  used 
for  the  production  of  such  roots  and  cereals  as  the  climate 
would  permit.  Along  the  west  side  of  Marsh  Lake  there 
is  also  nnu'h  flat  surface  oi  the  same  general  character,  on 
which  I  saw  some  coarse  grass  which  would  serve  as  food 
for  cattle.  Along  the  east  side  the  surface  appeared  higher 
and  terraced,  and  is  proljably  less  suited  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  agriculturalist.  Along  the  head  of  the  river, 
for  some  miles  below  ]\Iarsli  Lake,  there  are  flats  on  both 
sides,  which  would,  as  far  as  surface  conformation  goes, 
serve  for  farms,  The  soil  is  of  much  better  quality  than 
any  heretofore  seen,  as  is  proved  by  the  larger  and  thicker 
growth  of  timber  and  underbrush  which  it  supports.  The 
soil  bears  less  the  character  of  detritus,  and  more  that  of 
alluvium,  than  that  seen  above. 

'-  As  we  approach  the  cafion  the  banks  become  higher  and 
the  bottom  lands  narrower,  with  some  escarpments  along 
the  river.  At  the  canon  the  bank  on  the  west  side  rises 
two  hundred  feet  and  upwards  above  the  river,  and  the 
soil  is  light  and  sandy.  On  the  east  side  the  bank  is  not 
so  high,  but  the  soil  is  of  the  same  character,  and  the  tim- 
ber small  and  poor,  being  nearly  all  stunted  pine. 

'*'  Between  the  canon  and  Lake  Labarge,  as  far  as  seen 
from  the  river,  there  is  not  much  land  of  value.  The 
banks  are  generally  high,  and  the  soil  light  and  sandy. 
At  the  head  of  the  lake  there  is  an  extensive  flat,  partly 


KLOyDYKb:  r.K  TS, 


113 


covered  witli  tiinbci',  iiiucli  liivijor  aud  better  than  any  scon 
above  this  ))()int.  I'ojthn*  ciulit.  and  ten  inches  in  diameter 
were  not  iiiuioninioii,  and  some  sprnce  of  lifteen  and  six- 
teen inches,  and  many  ol*  npwurds  ol'  a  Coot  in  diameter, 
were  also  noticed.  'I'ho  soil,  Iiowi'vci-,  is  light,  and  the 
vegetation,  especially  the  grass,  thin  and  poor. 

Some  miles  down  the  lake  an  extensive  valley  joins  that 
of  the  lake  on  the  west  side.  This  valley  contains  a  small 
stream.  Around  this  i)lace  there  is  some  lam'  ibat  might 
be  useful,  as  the  grass  and  vegetation  is  much  better  than 
any  seen  so  fai-. 

On  the  lower  end  of  the  lake,  on  tbt>  west  side,  there  is 
also  a  considerable  plain  which  might  be  utilized  ;  the  soil 
in  parts  of  it  is  good.  I  saw  one  i)arl  where  the  timber 
had  been  burned  some  time  ago  ;  hei-e,  both  the  soil  and 
vegetation  were  good,  and  two  or  three  of  the  plants  seen 
are  common  in  this  part  of  Ontario,  but  they  had  not  the 
vigorous  a[)pearance  which  the  same  plants  have  here. 

Northward  froni  the  end  of  the  lake  there  is  a  deep, 
Avide  valley,  which  Dr.  Dawson  has  named  '  Ogilvie  Valley.' 
In  this  the  mixed  tind)er,  poplar  and  spruce,  is  of  a  size 
which  betokens  a  fair  soil  ;  the  herbage,  tov.',  is  more  than 
usually  rich  for  this  region.  This  valley  is  extensive,  and, 
if  ever  re([uired  as  an  aid  in  the  sustenance  of  our  people, 
will  figure  largely  in  the  district's  agricultural  assets. 

Below  the  lake  the  valley  of  the  river  is  not  as  a  rule 
wide,  and  the  banks  are  often  steep  and  high.  There  are, 
however,  many  flats  of  moderate  extent  along  the  river, 
and  at  its  confluence  with  other  streams.  The  soil  of  many 
of  these  is  fair. 

About  forty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  River 

there  is  an  extensive  flat  on  both  sides  of  the  Lewes.     The 

soil  here  is  poor  and  sandy,  with  snnill  open  timber.     At 

Pelly  River,  there  is  a  flat  of  considerable  extent  ou  which 
8 


114 


KLONDIKE  FACTS. 


the  ruins  of  Fort  Selkirk  ':t:uul.  It  is  covered  with  asnuill 
growth  of  poplar  aiiu  a  few  spruce.  Tlie  soil  is  a  gravelly 
loam  of  about  eight  inches  in  depth,  the  subsoil  being 
gravel,  evidently  detritus.  This  flat  extends  up  the  river 
for  some  miles,  but  is  all  covered  thickly  "with  timber, 
except  a  small  piece  around  the  site  of  the  fort. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  river  there  is  also  a  large  plateau, 
but  it  is  two  or  three  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  and 
the  soil  appears  to  bo  jioor.  Judging  from  the  thinness  and 
smallness  of  the  trees.  This  plateau  seems  to  extend  up 
the  Pelly  for  some  distance,  and  down  the  Yukon  for  ten 
or  twelve  miles.  As  seen  from  the  river,  ii  reminds  one 
of  the  slopes  and  Iiills  around  Kaiidoops  in  British  Colum- 
bia, and  like  them,  thougli  not  well  suited  to  agriculture, 
miglit  yield  fair  i)asturage  should  such  ever  be  reriuired. 

A  serious  objection  to  it,  however,  for  that  i)urpose,  if 
it  is  not  watered  on  the  surface  by  ponds,  is  that  the  river 
is  dillicult  of  access,  as  the  plateau  on  the  side  towards  the 
river  is  bounded  by  a  })erpendicular  l)asalt  clifl'.  which, 
without  artificial  arrangement,  would  completely  bar  ap- 
proach to  the  water.  This  clili'  is  more  tlian  two  hundred 
feet  high  at  the  confluence,  aiul  becomes  lower  as  we 
descend  the  river,  until,  at  the  lower  end,  it  is  not  more 
than  six'.y  to  eigaty  feet  high. 

Between  Pelly  and  White  Kivers  there  are  no  flats  of  any 
extent.  At  White  IJiver  there  is  a  flat  of  several  thou- 
sand acres,  but  it  is  all  timbered,  aiul  the  surface  of  the 
Boil  is  cove:"ed  with  a  thick  growth  of  moss,  which  prevents 
the  frost  ever  leaving  the  ground.  This  has  so  preserved 
fallen  timber  and  the  foliajic  of  the  trees  that  nmch  of  it 
is  lying  on  the  surface  nearly  as  sound  as  when  it  fell.  On 
this  account  the  vegetable  mould  o;i  ihe  gravel  is  thin  and 
poor.  The  standing  timber  also  bears  witness  to  the  cold- 
ness of  tlie  soil  by  its  slow  and  generally  small  growth.     A 


KLONBYKE  FACT 8. 


115 


few  trees  near  the  bunk,  whore  the  sun  can  heat  the  soil, 
are  of  fair  size,  but  further  back  they  are  generally  snuill. 

At  Stewart  River  there  is  another  large  flat  to  which  the 
same  general  remarks  are  applicable.  Thence,  to  the  ^ite 
at  Fort  Reliance,  there  are  no  flats  of  any  importance. 
High  above  the  river  in  some  places  there  are  extensive 
wooded  slopes,  wiiicli,  when  cleared,  would  be  well  suited 
for  such  agricultural  purposes  as  the  climate  would  permit. 

At  Fort  Reliance  there  is  a  flat  of  probably  1,500  acres 
in  extent ;  but  although  ^Messrs.  Harper  &  McQucstion 
lived  there  for  some  years,  it  appears  they  never  made  any 
agricultural  experiments;  believing  that  they  would  be 
futile. 

At  the  Forty  Mile  River  there  is  a  flat  of  about  four  or 
five  hundred  acres  in  area,  on  which  the  soil  is  of  better 
quality  than  on  many  of  the  other  places  mentioned.  On 
this  Messrs.  Harper  &  MeQuostion  erected  their  dwelling  and 
store  houses.  They  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  only  very 
hardy  roots  would  live  through  the  many  cold  nights  of 
the  summer  months,  and  that  tlie  season  is  so  short  that 
even  if  they  survived  tlio  cold  they  would  not  attain  a  size 
fit  for  use. 

The  river  is  not  generally  clear  of  ice  unti^  between  the 
25th  of  May  and  the  1st  of  June,  and  hea^'V  frosts  occur 
early  in  Septeml)cr,  and  sometimes  ciirUer 

At  the  bouiulary  there  are  two  liuts  of  several  hundred 
acres  each,  one  on  the  west  side,  the  other  three  miles 
above  it  on  the  east  side.  IJoth  of  these  are  covered  with 
poplar,  spruce  and  white  bircli,  also  some  willow  and  small 
pine. 

In  nuiking  preparations  for  the  foundati*  us  of  our  house 
at  our  winter  o.uirters  near  tlie  boundary  we  had  to  exca- 
vate in  the  bank  of  tlie  river,  and  in  an  exposed  place 
where  the  sun's  rays  could  reach  the  surface  without  liin- 


t 


■Hi 


116 


KL  ONIJ  YKE  FA  CTS. 


(Irauuc  from  treeri  or  utlior  .sluule  we  I'uuiid  the  depth  to  tlie 
perpetually  frozen  ground  to  be  not  more  than  two  feet. 
In  the  woods  where  the  ground  was  covered  -with  over  a 
foot  of  moss  the  frozen  ground  is  iuimediately  l)elow  the 
moss.  On  this  the  tinil>er  is  gciu'rally  siiudi,  aiul  of  very 
slow  growth,  as  is  evident  from  tlie  nuuiber  of  annual 
rings  of  growth.  1  have  seen  trt';'rf  of  only  three  or  four 
inehes  in  diameter  which  were  upwards  of  one  hunihvd 
and  fifty  years  old. 

It  is  dinicult  to  form  an  estimate  of  tlie  total  area  of 
agricultural  land  seen,  hiit  it  certainly  bears  a  very  snudl 
proiKM'tion  to  the  reuudnUcv  of  the  country.  1  think  ten 
townships,  or  ;}('»<>  square  miles,  Avould  be  a  very  liberal 
estinuite  for  all  the  jdaees  n.entioned.  This  gives  us 
"ilJO.-lrOO  acres,  or.  say  1,000  farms.  'IMie  available  land  on 
the  affluents  of  the  river  would  [)i'oba])ly  double  this,  or 
give  "i.OOO  farms  in  that  part  of  our  territory,  but  on  the 
most  of  these  the   returns  would  be  meagre. 

Without  the  discovery  and  development  of  largo  mineral 
wealth  it  is  not  lik('I>  Miat  the  slender  agi'iciiltural  re- 
s<nirt'es  of  the  region  will  ever  attract  attention,  at  least 
until  the  better  parts  of  our  tei'ritories  are  crowded. 

In  the  event  of  sueli  disenvery  sonu'  of  the  land  migjit 
be  used  fertile  production  of  vegetable  food  for  the  miners  ; 
but.  even  in  that  ease,  with  the  transport  facilities  whie!i 
the  district  commands,  it  is  very  doubtful  if  it  could  com- 
[)ete  profitably  with  the  south  and  east. 


TIMHEU  FOR  USE  IN  llLILlJlMi  AJSD    MAXUl' ACTLllIXG. 


The  amount  of  Ihis  class  of  timber  in  the  district  along 
the  river  is  not  at  all  important.  There  is  a  large  extent 
of  forest  which  would  yield  lire  wood,   and  timber  foi-  uso 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS. 


117 


in  mines,  but  for  the  nuinufacture  of  lumber  there  is  very 
little. 

To  give  an  idea  of  its  scarceness,  T  may  state  that  two 
of  my  party  made  a  thorough  search  of  all  the  timbered 
hiiul  around  the  head  of  Lake  Beunet  and  down  the  lake 
for  over  ten  miles,  ami  in  all  tiiis  search  only  one  tree  was 
found  suitable  for  making  such  plank  as  we  required  for 
the  construction  of  our  large  boat.  'JMiis  iwv.  made  four 
planks  15  inches  wide  at  the  butt,  7  at  the  top,  and  !31  feet 
long. 

(Such  other  planks  as  wo  wanted  had  to  be  cut  out  of 
short  logs,  of  whicli  some,  10  to  14  inches  in  diameter  aiul 
10  to  10  feet  long,  could  be  found  at  long  intervals.  The 
boat  required  only  450  feet  of  jtlank  for  its  construction, 
yet  some  of  the  logs  had  to  be  carried  U'-irly  ;iO0  yards, 
and  two  saw-jjits  had  to  be  nuule  hefoi-e  tli.»i  fjuantity  was 
procuret.,  and  this  on  ground  that  was  all  tiuckly  wooded 
with  si)ruce,  pine,  and  some  balsam,  the  latter  being  gen- 
erally the  largest  and  cleanest-truukcd. 

Tlu^sc  remarks  ai)})ly  to  the  timber  iiiilil  avc  reach  t lie 
lower  end  oi'  Marsh  Ljike.  On  the  head  of  the  river,  near 
the  lake,  some  trees  of  fair  ^l^ce,  I'itoll  inches  in  ih'anmter, 
and  carrying  their  tliicku 'ss  very  well,  could  be  got,  but 
their  numl)er  was  small,  ;  ml  tlu'y  were  much  scattered. 

At  the  canon  the  timber  is  snudl  ami  scrubby  ;  below  it 
there  were  a  few  trees  tliat  would  yield  j)lanks  from  7  to  10 
inches  Avide,  but  they  have  been  nearly  all  cut  by  the 
miners,  many  of  whom  made  rafts  at  the  head  of  Jiake 
Bennet,  floated  down  to  White  Horse  liiipids,  and  there 
abiindoned  them  for  l)oats  which  they  then  built. 

'Die  jrrcat  bulk  (d'  the  tindjcr  in  the  district  suitable  for 
manufacture  into  hunber  is  to  be  found  on  the  islamls  in 
the  river.     On  them  tl\o  soil  ia  warmer  and  richer,  the 


''if 


118 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


sun's  rays  striking  the  surface  for  a  much  longer  time, 
and  more  directly  than  on  the  banks. 

At  the  confluence  with  the  Pelly,  on  the  cast  side  of  the 
river,  there  is  a  grove  of  sjiruce,  from  which  some  very 
nice  lumber  could  be  made,  and  on  the  islands  beloAv  this 
much  of  the  same  class  of  timber  exists.  Kear  White  and 
Stewart  llivers  there  is  a  good  deal  of  nice  clean  timber, 
but  it  is  small.  It  is  said  there  is  more  good  timber  on 
Stewart  River  in  proportion  to  the  ground  v'ooded  than 
on  tlie  main  river. 

Between  Stewart  River  and  the  boundary  there  is  not 
so  much  surface  covered  with  large  trees  as  on  many  of 
the  flats  above  it,  tiio  valley  being  generally  narrower,  and 
the  sides  steeper  than  higher  up  the  river.  This,  of  course, 
precludes  the  growth  of  tiud)er. 

To  estimate  the  quantity  of  timber  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
river  in  our  territory  would  be  an  impossible  task,  having 
only  such  da<a  as  I  was  aide  to  collect  on  my  way  down. 
I  would,  however,  say  that  one-fourth  of  the  area  I  have 
given  as  agricultural  laud  would  be  a  fair  conjecture. 
IMiis  would  give  us  two  and  a  half  townshijis,  or  ninety 
square  miles,  of  fairly  well  timbers  I  ground  ;  but  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  there  is  not  more  than  a  square  mile 
or  so  of  that  in  any  one  place,  and  most  of  the  timber 
would  be  snudl  and  poor  compared  with  the  timber  of 
^Fanitoba  and  the  easterly  part  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tories. 

At  the  Boundary  Line  1  requii'cd,  as  has  already  been 
explained,  a  tree  23  inches  in  diameter  at  the  ground  on 
which  to  erect  my  transit.  An  exhaustive  "arch  of  over 
three  square  miles  of  the  woods  there,  though  showing 
many  trees  of  convenient  size  for  house  lo-s,  jind  many  for 
snudl  clean  planks,  showed  only  one  18  inches  in  diameter 
ut  a  distance  of  five  feet  above  the  ground. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


119 


It  may  be  said  tliat  the  country  might  furnish  much 
timber,  which,  though  not  fit  to  be  classed  as  merchant- 
able, would  meet  many  of  the  requirements  of  the  only 
industry  the  country  is  ever  likely  to  have,  viz.,  mining." 


120 


KLONUiKE  FACTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 


MORTALITY    AND    fLTMATE. 


Reports  of  deaths  in  the  Klondyke  are  most  unreliahle 
and  wouhl  be  ridioulous  were  they  not  painful  to  read. 
One  report  stated  tliat  there  had  been  two  thousand  deaths 
during  the  winter  of  1890  and  ]  8ilT,  wlien  as  a  matter  of  fact 
there  were  not  1,500  people  in  the  entire  territory.  The 
truth  is  there  were  only  two  deaths,  one  of  heart  disease  and 
one  a  man  who  died  on  the  way  in,  not  from  hardship  but 
from  natural  causes.  In  the  graveyard  at  Forty  Mile  Post, 
which  has  served  for  all  that  section  for  some  years  past, 
there  are  only  between  thirty  and  forty  gi-aves.  The  place 
is  exceptionally  liealthy,  and  tlie  uiortidity  cannot  be  com- 
pared wilu  any  uiislern  state,  fevers  and  pneumonia  being 
unknown.  There  are  no  infectious  diseases.  A  few  doc- 
tors have  thus  far  located  there,  but  havc^  not  as  much 
practice  as  if  located  in  any  largo  city.  There  are  no 
dentists  at  this  writing,  but  there  is  a  good  opening  for  a 
few. 

Any  one  afflicted  with  catarrh  may  be  recommended  to 
go  there,  as  the  high  altitude  is  good  for  them. 

Twenty  Sisters  of  Mercy  at  this  writing  have  left  from 
Lachine  and  Montreal.  Canada,  bound  for  Circle  City,  the 
Klondyke,  and  other  points,  to  care  for  the  sick  and  dis- 
abled, feeling  sure  that  with  the  influx  of  miners  their  ser- 


KLONDYKK  FACTS. 


1-Jl 


vices  will  be  required.     At  Circle  ('ity  there  is  a  hospital 
iiiidcr  the  (charge of  these  Sisters.     Now,  as  to  the  clinuite. 

In  the  Northwestern  'J'erritory  winter  commences  in 
0(>tolK'r.  The  fall  of  snow  through  the  winter  is  not  ex- 
cessive. I  am  speaking  now  of  tlie  mining  regions.  On 
the  <'oast  the  fall  of  snow  is  very  heavy,  hut  in  the  mining 
regions  two  feet  is  considered  a  very  heavy  fall.  There  is 
very  rarely  more  than  three  feet  of  snow  at  any  o  le  time. 
The  snow  is  light  and  flaky  and  dry  as  sawdust.  A  hard 
crust  does  not  form,  as  there  are  no  Avinter  thaws. 

Travelling  during  tlu'  winter  from  near-hy  })oints  is  gen- 
erally done  altogether  on  snow-shoes,  which  are  ])urchased 
from  the  Indians,  the  price  for  which  varies  from  '^'\  to  ^h) 
])cr  pair,  according  to  the  quality. 

During  the  winter  the  thermometer  sometimes  goes  as 
low  as  TO  degrees  below  zero,  but  this  lasts  but  a  very  short 
period  at  any  one  time.  The  average  temperature  during 
the  winter,  I  should  say,  was  about  twenty  degrees  below- 
zero.  The  reader  will,  however,  recollect  that  the  altitude 
is  very  high  and  the  air  extremely  dry,  so  that  the  cold  is 
not  felt  so  much  as  in  sections  of  the  State  of  Xew  York, 
where  the  thermometer  rarely  goes  as  low  as  30  degrees 
below  zei'o.  In  fact  I  have  sufPered  more  from  cold  in  my 
old  home  in  Northern  New  York  than  lever  suffered  here. 
I  have  chopped  wood  here  in  my  shirt-sleeves  outside  my 
door  when  the  thermometer  was  TO  degrees  below  zero  and 
suffered  no  great  discomfort, — the  air  was  so  very  dry. 

Winter  days  are  very  short  in  Dawson  City,  it  is  only 
two  hours  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  The  sun  rises  and  sets 
away  in  tlie  south,  but  there  is  no  pitch  darkness.  The 
twilight  lasts  all  night,  and  the  Northern  Lights  are  very 
connnon  throughout  these  regions. 

As  a  school  teacher  in  this  region  once  quaintly  i)ut  it. 
**At  Circle  Citv  I  went  to  school  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 


B 


Kill 

iiii 


I 


121 


KLONDYliR  FACTS. 


i 


i 


morning  by  the  liglit  of  the  sotting  moon,  and  rotnrnod 
homo  Jit  noon  by  tho  light  of  tho  rising  moon." 

Spring  opons  ubout  j\lay  1st,  and  tlio  ioo  on  tho  Ynkon 
commoncos  to  break  up  about  the  same  time.  Tho  Yukon 
is  generally  clear  of  ice  about  May  the  15th. 

In  summer  time  it  is  quite  warm,  tho  temperature  fre- 
quently rising  93  degrees  above.  The  discomfort  from  the 
heat,  however,  is  not  so  mu(;h  felt  as  might  bo  expocitod  on 
account  of  tho  dryness  of  tlie  air.  Tho  rainy  season  is  in 
tho  latter  part  of  August  and  the  beginning  of  September 
usually,  and  lasts  about  two  or  three  weeks.  The  discom- 
fort in  summer  from  flies,  gnats  and  mosquitoes  is  consider- 
able. 

Daring  tho  summer  the  day  is  about  twenty  hours  long, 
tho  sun  rising  and  setting  away  in  the  north. 

There  has  been  a  misapprehension  of  the  country  and 
from  a  sort  of  accepted  conclusion  that  the  climate  on 
tho  coast  and  that  in  the  interior  is  similar.  In  the  in- 
terior the  climate  is  inlluenced  largely  by  tho  altitude  of 
each  particular  district,  and  in  consequence  of  the  general 
lowering  of  the  country  beyoiul  tho  sixtieth  parallel,  the 
climatic  conditions  necessarily  are  much  more  favorable 
than  they  are,  for  example,  in  the  Cassear  district,  which 
is  only  just  north  of  British  Cohunbia. 

There  is  a  wide  difference,  too,  in  the  quantities  of  snow 
that  accumulate  in  winter  on  the  Coast  Ranges  and  in  the 
interior.  Wiille  the  quantities  are  groat  on  the  Coast 
Ranges,  the  depth  of  snow  as  far  down  the  Yukon  as  the 
Stewart  River  aiul  Forty  Mile  Creek  is  inconsiderable.  In 
his  work  on  "Alaska  and  Its  Resources,"  W.  II.  Dall  says, 
"  Tho  valley  of  the  lower  Yukon  is  somewhat  foggy  in  the 
latter  part  of  summer,  but  as  we  ascend  the  river  the  cli- 
mate improves." 

The  temperature  of   Wrangell,  which  is  just  olf  tlic 


KLONDYIxK  FACTS. 


lt>;i 


month  of  tlio  Stikino,  iiiiiy  ho  tukeii  us  hih'ly  roprosontii- 
tivi;  of  tho  const  in  tlioso  liititiuUis.  For  tlie  interior  region 
then!  is  not,  nnrortunutely,  uny  iHU'ord  of  a  series  of  ilici'- 
niomc^tcu*  reudinf^s  ;  hut  some  idea  of  its  elimute  may  l)(( 
formed  from  that  of  lA^rt  ^'iikon,  whicii  is,  liowcner,  situ- 
ated far  to  tho  north,  ahnost  exactly  on  tlio  Arctic  circle, 

DR.  Dawson's  tahle. 

Tlie  moan  seasonal  tem])erature  for  these  two  stations, 
as  j^athorod  hy  Dr.  Dawson,  is  as  foHows  : 

Wrangell.  Fort  Yukon, 

rj^>ring 40-4  14-0 

Summer 57-1  50-7 

Autumn 4:3-0  17-4 

Winter , .  ,.28-3  23*8 

Wlioleycar. 42-2  10-8 


In  other  words,  tho  seasons  are  not  so  severe  in  tho  in- 
terior of  tlie  gold-hearing  regions  as  they  are  in  some  of 
tho  central  provinces  of  European  Russia,  where  tho  ther- 
mometer descends  to  31  degrees  and  sometimes  to  50  de- 
grees in  tho  winter  months,  hut  rises  in  summer  to  104 
and  oven  to  109  degrees.  The  rainfall  in  the  interior,  too, 
is  small,  varying  from  sixteen  to  twenty-eight  inches,  the 
maximum  precipitation  taking  place  during  the  summer 
months. 

I  consider  ahovc  readings  can  apply  for  immediate 
Klondyko  regions. 

By  May  1st  prospecting  and  new  mining  operations 
usually  hegin,  and  there  are  really  only  four  months.  May, 
Juno,  July  and  August,  during  which  prospecting  can  bo 
done  and  new  mining  operations  commenced. 


I'U 


KL O St)  Y  I\  K  FA  V TS. 


There  is  a  popular  error  that  mining  operations  can  only 
be  comi noted  during  those  four  months,  hut  I  shall  draw 
a  olear  distinction  l)et\veen  prospecting  and  the  commence- 
ment of  the  new  operations,  and  tlie  working  of  mines  al- 
ready established  and  being  worked.  Mining  operations 
of  th((  latter  sort  wbere  the  mines  are  already  established 
can  be  conducted  during  the  entire  year. 


KL02^D1KE  FACTS. 


rj5 


OITAITEU  Xr. 


COST  OF    LIVINO  AND  MAOKS  PAID. 


Many  iinrelia).)lo  reports  have  been  received   as  to  the 
enormous  cost  of  liviiij^  in  the  new  gohl  i-eii'ion. 

When  I  left  tlierein  June,  KSDT,  board  was  obtainalde  in 
Dawson  City  from  two  to  three  dollai-s  i)er  (hiy  in  iiotels 
and  restaurants,  but  many  of  tlio  miners  were  living  (»n 
their  own  resources  at  not  more  thiui  81.00  per  day,  and. 
some  of  the  men  that  1  knew  were  not  speudintj:  moi-e  than 
I'/iaO.Oo  ^1  year  U)V  living  expenses.  Of  course  with  the 
large  influx  of  new  prospectors,  the  rate  of  board  and  i)ro- 
visions  will  advance,  but  in  my  opinion  the  advajice  will 
not  be  excessive  for  the  reason  that  the  'I'ransportation 
Companies  will  increase  their  facilities  for  bringing  in 
supplies.  This  is  no  })lace  for  a  man  unless  he  goes  ready 
to  do  hard  work  and  suffer  hardships.  Of  course,  in  any 
mining  camp  or  community  of  any  nature,  there  is  always 
a  number  of  indolent  characters  who  live  by  gambling, 
etc.  Up  to  June,  labor  was  in  o«»od  demand  ;  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  secure  hands  at  l^lo.OO  per  day  to  work  in  a 
saw  mill,  ^finers  workiiig  on  claims  and  mechanics  re- 
ceive |!l,.W  per  hour  or  $].'). 00  a  day.  Ordinary  laborers 
for  any  kind  of  work,  hoAvever,  never  receive  less  than 
$10.00  a  day.  If  a  man  is  economical  in  his  living,  and 
does   not  allow  himself  to  be  drawn  into  the  gambling 


Ili() 


RLONDYKR  FACTS. 


saloons,  lie  can  save  suflicont  money  in  a  sliort  time  to  pnr- 
(iliase  an  outfit  and  go  to  jnoapeeting  and  locate  a  good 
claim  outside  of  the  present  regions.  I  certainly  would 
not  recommend  a  person  to  go  into  the  country  with  only 
sullicient  money  to  take  him  there.  He  should  have  suf- 
ficient money  to  take  him  tliere  and  purchase  provisions 
for  one  year,  and  not  he  dependent  upon  the  charity  of 
strangers.  The  cost  of  various  artich^s  at  Dawson  Oity 
are  mentioned  in  the  chapter  under  outfit  for  miners. 

A  miner  does  not  have  to  he  in  the  country  long  before 
he  makes  n-;sociation  with  some  otiier  miner,  and  puts  up 
his  own  cabin  thereby  reducing  expenses. 


KLONDYKE  FAVT6, 


127 


CIIAPTEU  XII. 


MINERS     LUCK. 


Many  of  tlio  reports  receivod  of  X\w  larr^o  fnuls  of  ^old 
from  the  gold  regions  are  not  in  any  way  oxaggcrattvl,  Init 
the  claims  all  along  thcKlondyke  and  its  various  tril)iitari('S 
are  already  taken  up  and  more  than  lOOO  claims  are  staki-d 
out  and  in  operation,  and  the  new  ])rospeetor  must  work 
for  others  or  go  on  prospecting  tri])s  farther  into  the  region 
and  take  his  chance  of  locating  new^  claims. 

I  consider  the  chance  good  if  lie  is  well  supplied  with 
provisions  and  enjoys  a  good  constitution,  and  can  sulfcr  the 
hardships  which  must  he  endured  in  any  circumstances  in 
this  new  and  comparatively  uiu^xplored  region. 

The  reports  already  received  of  the  finds  of  gold  seem 
beyond  belief  but  the  greater  part  of  them  are  acrtual 
facts,  and  the  followiug  eauie  under  my  personal  ob- 
servation : — 

Alexander  MelJonald,  ou  Claim  Ko.  30,  Eldorado,  on 
the  Klondyke,  started  drifting  on  his  claim  with  four 
uien.  The  men  agreed  to  work  the  claim  on  shares,  tlie 
agreement  being  thai  they  should  work  on  shares  by  each 
receiving  half  of  what  they  could  get  out.  The  five 
together  took   out   $5,000*  iii   twenty-eight    days.      The 


I 


1:18 


KLONhTKE  FACTS, 


ground  dug  up  avus  found  to  measure  but  4(>  .scjuaro  feet. 
'J'liis  wji.s  an  exn'ptional  lind.  The  men  are  of  ('(nirne 
working  the  ehiim  and  had  4(10  square  feet  on  the  claim 
still  to  work  out. 


I'eojde  in  th(!  east  or  elsewhere  can  hardly  realize  what 
a  small  spa(;e  a  mining  claim  is  in  this  vast  and  compara- 
tively unexplored  territory. 

AVilliam  jjcggatt  on  Claim  Xo.  i;),  Eidorailo,  togethei' 
with  AVilliam  (iates  and  a  miner  named  Shoots,  j)ur<duised 
tliih  chiim  from  a  miner  named  Stewart,  and  his  i>artner, 
for  the  sum  of  ii^4."), ()(»(•.  Tiicy  ilid  not  have  money  to 
make  the  payment  in  casli.  hut  nuuk'  a  lirst  [)ayment  of 
!ji'i,(>()0  witli  I  he  agreement  to  pay  the  halancc^  <d'  the 
purehasc  ]»rice,  ^-liJ.OOd.  prior  to  July  1st,  IS'.i;.  They 
sunk  a  shaft  and  eomuu'nce<l  taking  out  sl^l.dOO  per 
day. 

Tliey  worked  tlie  pay  dii'l;  ,intil  ahout  May  !."».  1<S  >7, 
when  they  f(Min<l  that  thev  liad  taken  out  *(i-i,()0O, 
and  the  space  of  the  chiim  woi'ked  was  only  "M  s(pnire 
feet. 


a? 
w 

50 

o 
> 

It 

»9 


A  young  man  who  went  to  the  Klondyke  recently 
Avrites  that  he  is  taking  out  *1,H»U  a  day  fnna  his 
claim. 

There  are  a  great  numlter  of  ,^uch  cx(!ejitional  finds  that 
hav(!  occuri'ed  within  the  last  six  uuMiths. 

On  November  X'(  I,  'I'lionuis  l-'lark.  William  Sloan  and  a 
\\\i\\\  by  the  nam(!  of  Wilkinson  sunk  a,  hole  eighteen  feet 
dee])  in  El  Dorado  Creek,  and  struck  a  four-foot  |)ay  streak 
that  wind,  ^A  to  the  pan,  or  i<*2..'>(»  to  the  shovcdful.  Tliis 
was  not  for  a  short  time.  l)ut  for  wceLs  and  weeks.     They 


2; 
w 

50 
W 

n 
> 


! 


I 


KL  OND  YKE  FA  CIS. 


129 


shovelled  out  ton  after  ton  of  dirt  that  Avas  literally  iilled 
with  gold,  and  did  not  know  it.  The  news  of  the  new 
strike  was  sj)read  ont  all  over  tiic  Northwest,  and  not 
only  j)ros|)ectors  hut  praetieal  mining  nien  came  to  the 
diggings.  Some  capitalists  saw  the  Flack  mine,  and 
hought  out  his  partners,  Sloan  and  Wilkinson,  for  $5U.()(KI 
each,  hut  Flack  would  not  sell,  which  proved  liis  sense, 
as  the  men  who  jiurchascd  his  partners'  interest  got  o\  cr 
^,')(),()00  each  out  of  the  dump  that  the  trio  had  discarded 
hefore  they  struck  the  pay  streak  at  the  eighteen-foot 
level. 


There  were  very  'ew  practical  miners  there  at  lirst,  hut 
tjiey  soon  hegan  to  flock  in  and  take  hold.  JOai-h  day 
brought  news  of  other  marvellously  rich  strikes.  The  ex- 
citenuint  grew  by  the  hour.  Xot  a  moment  was  lost  in 
the  accumulation  of  the  })recious  metal,  ami  even  women 
hegan  to  move  toward  YA  Dorado.  The  Yukon  had  com- 
pletely frozen  up,  and  three  steamers — the  ^^'eare,  the 
IJclla  and  the  Arctic — wert'  fast  in  the  ice.  That,  how- 
ever, did  not  deter  the  passengers,  as  they  canu'  ahing  ou 
sledg(\s  and  snowshoi's.  it  was  .•tnylhing  to  get  I  hero 
with  them.  Two  ladies.  .Mrs.  Iii[»pi.  whose  hnshand  now 
has  a  claim  valued  at  *l,(i(Ml.()(Mi,  and  Mrs.  Berry,  picked 
out  of  a  dump  !J!(!, (>()()  each  in  a  few  days  after  their  arrival. 
1'hey  found  the  metal  by  poking  around  in  the  di)'t  with 
sticks.  I  cite  this  instance  to  show  how  much  valuable 
material  was  discarded  in  the  wild  rush  for  bonanzas.  The 
liasio  }»rijici}»les  of  placer  mining  were  in  many  instaiu-es 
utterly  ignored,  and  men  delviMl  in  the  earth  for  nothing 
short  of  nuggets.  It  was  the  most  exciting  scene  1  have 
ever  witnessed  or  read  about. 

When  th(^  big  strike  was  nuide  in  Ml  Dorado  the  men 
down  at  Bonanza  Creek   became  very  much  dissatisfied 


130 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


witli  gravol  tliut  wont  for  GO  cents  to  $1.(10  a  pan,  when, 
jis  a  matter  oi'  fact,  .5  cents  a  pan  is  considered  goo.l  any- 
where else,  and  will  pay  well  in  the  clean  np. 

A    IJKi    DEAL. 

San  Francisco,  Aiujiisf  2. — 0.  ().  'toward,  jr.,  the 
mining  expert  and  son  of  (Jen.  0.  O.  Howard,  telegrai)li('d 
to  a  Wall  Street  syndicate  on  Friday  :  "I  have  secured 
an  option  on  Clarence  Perry's  controlling  interest  in  four 
best  claims  at  Klonr^yke  price  !i<:2, 000,000,  lo  per  cent,  to 
to  be  paid  immediately  :  this  sum  to  be  forfeited  if  control 
isn't  carried  through,  and  balance  paid  in  six  months. 
Forty  square  feet  actually  produced  ^!;3(»,()00,  of  which 
$00,000  in  nuggets  is^'iiere." 

On  the.  17th  uU.,  the  steamer  Portland,  of  the  N.  A. 
Transportation  aiul  Trading  Co.,  arrived  at  Seattle,  bring- 
ing a  large  party  of  miners  from  Klondykevia  St.  Michael, 
who  brought  out  over  ^itid.ouo  in  gold  dust,  as  that 
amount  has  been  deiluitely  located  as  having  been  shipped 
by  the  express  companies  and  bai-.ks  of  Seattle,  while  it  is 
possible  considerably  more  th.ui  that  was  brought  out,  in- 
asmuch iu  many  individuals  took  away  without  shipment 
more  or  loss  gold,  Sev(M'al  Seattle  parties  were  among 
this  number,  one  of  whom,  Mr.  Stanley,  who  went  into 
Yukon  eleven  months  ago,  brought  with  him  %112,0()0  in 
gold.  Others  brought  out  dust  in  sums  ranging  from  live 
to  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  dollars. 

These  parties  brought  marvellous  stories  of  the  richness 
of  the  placers  in  that  country.  Some  of  them  had  taken 
these  amounts  out  of  a  very  small  portion  of  their  claims. 


HAD  AN    KAULV  Til'. 

NoiiTii  ToNAWANDA,  N.  Y.,  August  ;i.— The  news  of 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


131 


tlio  great  gold  (liscoverics  in  tlm  Kloudyko  region  was  told 
in  the  Tonawandas  long  before  it  became  known  to  the 
world  at  largi;  tlirongli  tlio  newspajiers.  A  small,  thiek- 
set  man  walked  into  the  Hotel  Sheldon  in  this  city  on 
April  ^,  and  registered  under  tlio  name  of  V.  F.  Leaven- 
worth, Spokane,  Wash.  M.  H.  I'iercc,  the  jiroprietorof  the 
hotel,  recognized  in  the  stranger  his  cousin,  whom  he  had 
not  seen  since  KSOl. 

As  boys,  Pierce  and  Leavenworth  had  been  chums  at 
their  old  home  in  Itochestei',  l)ut  they  se])aratcd  in  lS(i4, 
Leavenworth  entering  the  I'nited  Stat(^s  Army,  while 
I'ierce,  who  was  then  but  seventeen  years  old,  left  for  the 
coal  regions  of  Pennsylvania. 

After  the  two  men  had  hugged  each  other,  each  miturally 
became  curious  to  learn  how  the  other  had  fared  during 
the  thirty-three  years  in  which  they  had  not  seen  each 
other.  Both  had  a  long  story  to  tell,  and  it  took  several 
days  in  which  to  inform  Pieriie  of  tlie  wonderful  sights 
seen  by  Leavenworth,  lie  had  been  around  the  world,  ami 
had  visited  every  country  ami  clime  on  the  face  of  the 
globe.  The  last  two  years  of  his  life,  however,  had  been 
spent  in  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska,  where  he  had  accumu- 
lated a  fortune. 

"Why,  Pierce,"  he  said,  in  an  ecstasy  of  enthusiasm,  on 
the  second  day  after  his  arrival,  "  the  gold  in  the  district 
where  my  claim  is  located  is  thicker  than  coal  in  the  coal 
fields  of  Pennsylvania." 

After  hearing  his  story,  I'ierce  began  to  i)ity  his  cousin. 
When  the  two  men  were  together  with  othc  friends  of  the 
j)ro])rietor,  Leavenworth  would  begin  to  talk  of  the  gold  in 
the  Klondyke.  This  w;is  not  iip[)reciated  Ijy  .^L^  Pierce  as 
mm;h  as  one  would  suppose,  lie  did  not  relish  the  idea  of 
other  people  h'arning  of  the  alUiction  of  his  cousin,  and  he 
fre(juently  cautioned  him  to  let  that  Klondyke  story  alone. 


4 


132 


K1A)SI>YKE  FACTS. 


.Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Leavonwortli  at  tlie  liotel, 
Colin  Mcintosh,  of  Taconia,  Washington,  arrived  in  town, 
^felntorih  was  Leavenworth's  boon  companion  during  his 
trip  through  Alaska,  aiuI  he  corroborated  Leavenworth's 
story  regarding  the  richness  of  the  Yukon  Valk'y.  The 
men  Avere  oji  their  way  back  from  New  York  to  Seattle 
from  where  thev  were  to  take  the  first  steamer  to  leavt'  for 
the  gold  fields.  While  at  the  hotel  in  this  city  tliev  ex- 
bibited  small  (puintities  of  gold-dust  and  several  small 
nuggets.  TJjey  seemed  to  have  money  to  burn,  and  tliey 
spent  it  freely.  All  these  things  linally  convinced  Leaven- 
worth's friends  that  he  was  not  daft. 

\>illiam  Kolju,  a  Fiidander,  luis  arrived  home  after  an 
absence  of  llS  months,  bringing  with  him  ^IT.OOU  in  gold 
nuggets  from  ilie  Kloiulyke.  In  February  last  he  was  on 
llie  verge  of  starvation  and  had  no  money  to  buy  food.  A 
short  tiiue  after  this  bis  fortune  brightened.  lie  struck 
pay  dirt  and  began  taking  it  out  aiul  packing  liis  sluice 
boxes,  '['his  re(|uiie(i  arduous  labor,  as  the  pay  ground 
lay  on  the  bedrock  beneath  the  frozen  soil. 

In  May  the  water  cauu,'  in  torrents.  Mr.  Kolju  began 
sluicing  his  dirt  and  iiift  with  success,  lie  at  once  liet 
alxMit  cleaning  up  as  miuli  of  liis  dirt  as  p<»ssiljlc,  taking 
out  M  little  moi'c  iban  ^ll.ooii  iu  gold  dust,  which  he 
brought  home  with  him.      lie  sold  bis  claim  for  *•->(), oo(j. 

l*n»f.  Lippy,  fctrnu'rly  secretary  of  t!ic  Y.  M.  C.  A,  at 
Seattb'.  returned  from  the  Klondyke  wit!i  *(iT.(HM»  in  gold 
dust,  and  also  .1.  ().  Ilistwood.of  Seattle,  lirought  out 
over  !i<T. 0(1(1.  (^uile  a  nuiid»er  of  California  })eoide  had 
sums  ranging  from  *."),(I0()  to  *.')(),(MH). 


More  news  of  rieli  iinds  was  Itrouglit  iutn  San  Francisco, 


m 


KL  OyiJ  YKE  FA  CTS. 


133 


by  the  steamer  Walla  Walla,  on  July  'M.  Several  miners 
returned  on  the  Walla  Walla,  one  of  them  with  a  hag  of 
Klondyke  nuggets.  Beside  this  gold,  the  steamer  hrought 
about  ^50,000  from  the  famous  Treadwell  mine  on  Doug- 
lass Island,  and  about  ^:)0,0(i()  from  the  mines  of  the 
Nowell  Gold  Mining  Comi)aMy  on  Derner's  Bay. 

Another  rich  strike  on  a  Ijranch  of  the  Klondyke  is  re- 
ported by  Harry  Fitzgerald,  who  came  diret-t  from  Juneau. 

He  says  that  the  last  mail-(,'arrier  from  Dawson  brought 
news  that  an  immense  strike;  had  been  made  by  C'urley 
Monroe,  a  Seattle  num.  The  exact  amount  of  gold  taken 
out  was  unknown. 

Fit/igerald  brings  the  news  that  hundri'ds  of  tons  of 
supplies  are  stacked  up  at  Dyea  waiting  to  be  carried  over 
the  pass.  It  will  be  impossible,  he  says,  to  move  all  the 
goods  before  spring. 

Juneau  is  deserted.  Kvcrylxnly  iuis  gone  to  th(;  Yukon, 
and  the  quartz  mines  cannot  get  enougli  men  to  run  tiu'ir 
mills.  Wages  are  '^'^.M)  to  '^'.t  per  diiy  with  Ijoard,  hut 
only  tlfty  or  sixty  uu-n  are  working  at  Treadwell,  where 
three  huudre<l  were  working  six  months  ago. 


Tin;  most  interesting  featui'c  of  the  mail  advices  that 
conui  from  the  Klondyke  will  be  the  dtitails  of  the  mining 
strikes  made  on  Stewart  and  Pclly  I'ivcrs  this  summer. 
Several  times  since  the  arrival  of  the  Klondyke  miners 
with  their  nuggets  from  Bonanza  aiul  Kldorado  creeks, 
stories  have  been  alloat  of  still  richer  fields  on  Stewart  Creek 
and  other  creeks  further  east.  None;  of  the  returned 
Klondykers  were  able  to  give  information  on  the  subject. 
Many  have  mined  with  limite(l  success  on  Stewart.  IVlly 
and  other  rivers  hcforc  striking  rich  dirt  on  the  Klondyke 
tributaries. 

The  only  hint  ol'  what  has  hcen  found,  comes  through 
Surveyor  Ogilvie  in  the  following  news  from  Ottawa,  re- 


1 


134 


KLOND  YK K  FA CTS. 


ceived  at  Victoria.  H.  ('.  :  "  Wliilu  tho  Government 
officials  are  extremely  reticent  as  to  the  latest  advices  from 
Surveyor  Oj^ilvie  and  Inspector  Gonstantiiie,  the  fact  has 
leaked  out  that  those  oilicials  have  assured  their  depart- 
ments that  scores  of  miners  are  descrtinj:^  tlie  Klondyke 
for  a  richer  district  further  east,  believed  to  he  Stc^wart 
river,  where  it  is  said  still  more  wonderful  deposits  have 
been  discovered  this  s[)riui;."  Felly  Kiver  is  about  i)ar- 
allel  Avitli  Stewart  Kiver  and  enters  the  Yukon  about  forty 
miles  higher  up.  Both  rivers  are  on  the  right  or  cast 
bank  of  the  Yukon,  and  are  east  of  Dawson  City.  The 
Pelly  has  also  been  prospected  by  some  Kloiulykers  with 
little  if  any  success,  but  this  is  no  proof  that  other  pros- 
pectors have  not  been  more  forturate. 

One  nuner  who  has  been  in  the  country  eight  or  ten 
years  told  me  that  the  experienced  miners  about  Circle 
City  had  sunk  their  shafts  and  followed  what  was  supposed 
to  be  an  infallible  rule  in  i)lacer  mining,  viz.  :  that  when 
they  struck  the  clay  they  abandoned  their  claims,  consider- 
ing them  to  be  valueless,  while,  as  be  expressed  it,  these 
tenderfeet  went  into  the  Kloiulyke,  and  not  knowing 
enough  to  stop  digging,  dug  right  through  tlic  (;hiy,  under 
which  were  the  richest  strikes,  lie  and  his  companions 
have  returned  to  their  old  diggings  to  work  through  the 
clay,  hoping  to  find  the  same  condition  as  at  the  Klondyke. 

There  has  been  found  at  the  Klondyke  what  is  called  a 
false  bedrock.  It  would  ai)pear  that  in  the  glacial  action 
the  gold  was  deposited  on  true  bedrock  aiul  subsequently 
by  either  volcanic  action  or  extraordinary  glacial  action, 
what  appeared  to  be  another  bedrock  was  deposited  on  top 
of  this  gold  deposit,  aiul  parties  who  have  gone  tlirough 
this  false  bedrock  have  found  rich  pay  streaks  between  it 
and  true  bedrock. 


It    is  reported   by    parties   who  brought  down  large 


KL ON n  YKE  FA  (,'TS. 


135 


ftmounts  on  tlie  Portland  tlmt  there  are  two  million  dollars 
in  dust  now  in  tlio  country  which  will  be  brought  out  by 
the  owners  when  they  have  occasion  to  come  out.  The 
.security  of  possession  of  the  gold  dust  there  is  absolute,  and 
unless  the  persons  are  coming  out  they  feel  they  are  per- 
fectly secure  in  its  possession.  Only  such  come  at  this 
season  of  the  year — at  which  the  most  work  is  being  done 
— as  have  to  get  more  i)rovisions  or  materials  ;  or  those  who 
have  struck  extraordinarily  rich  claims  and  have  left  friends 
or  relatives  in  possession  to  work  the  claims  while  tliey 
come  down  with  the  dust  they  have,  and  to  make  provi- 
sion for  tlieir  friends  and  relatives  licre. 

That  the  country  is  marvellously  rich  in  gold  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  and  if  the  steamers  from  the  north  via  St. 
Michael  or  Dyea  will  on  their  trips  in  August  and  Sept- 
ember confirm  the  stories  of  the  miners  who  come  out  from 
tliere  and  bring  out  gold  in  tlie  quantities  it  is  expected 
they  will,  I  estimate  there  will  be  no  less  than  50,000 
people  exclusive  of  excursionists  going  into  Alaska  next 
spring  or  the  early  summer. 


4 


'I 


A   FEMALE  GOLD    HUNTER. 

Pauline  Kellogg,  the  daughter  of  Judge  Kellogg,  an  old 
miner  of  Colorado,  who  now  lives  here,  is  about  to  start 
for  the  Klondyke  to  engage  in  mining  on  her  own  account. 
She  was  born  at  lireckinridge.  Col.,  and  lived  all  during 
her  youth  in  an  atmosphere  of  mining  speculation.  Al- 
though young  and  delicate,  she  is  tletcrmined  to  brave  the 
hardsliips  of  camp  life  on  the  Yukon,  and  is  only  waiting 
till  she  can  start  with  some  friends.     She  says  : 

*'  I  am  not  going  to  look  on  there.  I  shall  take  up  a 
claim,  hire  help,  and  superintend  the  work  myself.  Of 
course,  I  know  it  is  a  life  of  hardship.  I  can  remember 
some  of  the  things  we  used  to  go  through  in  the  cabin  at 
Breckinridge  wlien  the  country  was  new.     There  is  an 


lao 


KLONDYKK  F-irVS. 


elomont  of  (lanQfor  in  it,  but  I  fool  ublc  to  tako  cure  of  my- 
solf.  I  havo  known  of  women  in  Colorado  who  did  just 
this  thing,  and  grew  ri(;h.  ^\y  expeetations  are  moderate, 
but  I  do  not  see  wliy  1  eouhl  not  do  the  same," 

**It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  oiu>  chiim  yielded 
100,000  in  45  feet  up  and  down  the  stream.  Clarence 
Berry  bought  out  his  two  partners,  i)aying  one  $35,000  and 
the  other  *()0,000,  and  has  taken  up  *1 40,000  from  the 
winter  dump  alone.  Peter  Wiborg  has  purchased  more 
ground,  lie  purchased  bis  partner's  interest  in  a  claim, 
paying  $43,000.  A  nuiu  by  the  name  of  "Wall  has  all  he 
thinks  he  wants,  and  is  coining  out.  lie  sold  his  interests 
for  $50,000.  Nearly  all  the  gold  is  found  in  the  creek  bed 
on  the  bed  rock,  but  there  are  a  few  good  l)ench  diggings. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  reading  in  the  Mitiuuj 
lierord  is  the  letters  written  by  men  in  the  Klondyke  to 
friends  in  Juneau.     Here  is  one  from  '•  Casey  "  Moran  : 

Dawson,  March  20,  1897. 

"Friexd  Gkorot.  :  Don't  pay  any  attention  to  what  any 
one  says,  but  come  in  at  your  earliest  opportunity.  ^V\ 
(rod  !  it  is  appalling  to  he.-.r  the  truth,  but  nevertheless 
the  v;orld  has  lu'ver  j)rodu('ed  its  ('(pial  before.  Well, 
come.     That's  all.     Your  friend. 

''Caskv." 


Burt  Shuler,  writing  from  Kb)udvke  under  date  of 
June  5,  says  : 

"We  have  been  here  but  a  short  time' and  we  all  have 
money.  Provisions  an;  mu(di  higher  than  they  were  two 
years  ago  and  clothing  is  clean  out  of  sight.  One  of  the 
A.  C.  Co.'s  boats  was  lost  in  the  spring,  and  there  will  ])e 


KLOXDYKK  FACTS. 


137 


a  Bhortago  of  provisions  again  tliis  fall.  Thore  ia  notliing 
that  a  man  conld  oat  or  wcai-  that  he  oannot  got  .i  -uod 
prij^e  for.  Virst-cia.sH  riihhcr  hoDtsarc  worth  from  an  onncc 
to  ^25  a  i)air.  The  in-ico  of  (lour  has  htrn  raised  fn»ni  *4 
to  $(>  ami  it  was  selling  at  |«50  when  we  arrived,  as  it  was 
heinff  freighted  from  Fortv  Mile.  Hig  moncv  ean  be  made 
by  bringing  a  sill, ill  outfit  over  f lie  tniil  this  fall.  Wages 
have  been  *15  j)er  day  till  winter,  though  a  redu('ti<»n  to 
♦10  was  attempted,  but  the  millers  fpiit  work.  .  .  .  Mere 
is  a  erc'ek  that  is  eighteen  mih\s  long,  iiiid.  as  far  jis  is 
known,  without  a.  miss.  'I'here  are  nt»t  enougli  men  in  the 
(lountrv  to-day  to  worl\  the  claims.  Se\(r;il  (»tlier  ere« '.s 
show  e(|nal  ]iromise,  but  very  lilth^  wi>rk  li;is  lieeii  done  on 
the  latter.  I  have  seen  gold  dust  until  it  seems  almost  as 
cheap  as  sawdust.  If  you  are  coming  in.  come  pre])ared 
to  stay  two  years  at  lenst  ;  bring  plenty  of  clothing  ami 
irood  rubber  boots." 


Jlere  is  a  letter  from  another  enthusiast : 

KuvNOVKi:,  Alay '.^r,  iHOr. 

'' FuiENi)  Bfll  :  Wf  landed  here  the  ITth  and  went 
on  a  stampede  the  next  day.  and  have  just  got  back.  I 
1  came  through  the  camp  and  saw  a  good  many  friends  ; 
I  saw  jiurt ;  he  has  a  claim  on  Bonanza  ('reek.  Hilly 
Leake  has  bought  a  claim  on  lOldorado  :  the  claim  is  suji- 
posed  t<»  be  worth  a  million.  There  are  thirty-four  claims 
on  the  same  cre<>k  which  seem  to  b(>  as  good,  lionanza  is 
irood,  but  not  so  rich,  'i'liere  are  loo  t'laims  on  Bonanza 
which  are  good,  and  there  are  other  creeks  which  give 
good  pay.  Bill,  it  is  the  best  camp  I  ever  saw.  Wages 
are  *li>  a  day  ;  everything  is  high  :  gum  boots  are  selling 
at  ^^6.     I  look  for  a  new  strike  this  summer,  as  manv  men 


%  ! 


138 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


are  out  prospecting,  and  it  is  the  best  gold  country  I  ever 
saw.  I  wish  you  were  hero  ;  we  will  make  a  stake  if  we 
stay  with  it ;  I  will  have  something  before  winter.  If  you 
come  in  this  fall  don't  start  after  the  15th  of  August ;  one 
can  make  more  liere  in  one  year  than  he  can  in  ten  out 
there.  There  will  be  work  the  year  round  ;  wages  may  be 
cut  to  $10,  but  I  don't  think  it ;  I  can  go  to  work  at  any 
time,  and  for  as  long  as  I  Avish  at  $15.  It  will  pay  to 
bring  anything  hero  which  can  be  carried  in  ;  the  demand 
is  good  and  prices  such  that  there  is  money  in  anything 
that  can  be  brought  in.  Money  will  hardly  buy  claims 
here  now,  but  men  can  often  get  in  on  a  'lay.'  I  know 
men  who  took  *  lays '  since  Feb.  1,  and  made  enough  to  go 
out  with  as  high  as  $20,000  apiece. 

**AxDY  ITknsley." 


Oscar  Ashby  fears  that  gold  will  have  to  be  demonetized, 
for  he  says  in  a  letter  dated  May  18,  from  Circle  City  : 

"  Hereafter  address  all  letters  to  Klondyke,  N.  W.  Ter- 
ritory. I  would  have  stayed  here  in  Alaska,  but  when  I 
heard  of  McKinley's  election  I  pulled  my  freight,  for  I 
knew  that  meant  gold.  I  tell  you  one  thing,  if  they  find 
a  few  more  Eldorado  and  Bonanza  creeks,  they  will  have 
to  demonetize  gold.  Some  of  the  kings  here  are  hurrying 
out  to  spernl  their  money  before  that  is  done.  However, 
I  am  going  to  take  chances  on  mine." 

Another  letter  says  : 

"  Circle  City  is  deserted,  every  one  having  gone  to  Klon- 
dyke, where  the  richest  strike  of  the  kind  ever  known  in 
any  country  was  made  last  fall.  The  stories  told  are  not 
exaggerated.     One  hundred  dollars  to  the  ©an  is  very 


KLONDYKE  FArfS. 


189 


(lommon.     One  can  hardly  lu'licvc  it,  hut  it  is  true,  novor- 
tlicless. 

"  Eldorado  is  staked  ol?  into  claims  for  oipjlit  or  ton 
miles,  and  ovcrv  claim  so  far  has  shown  up  hig.  One 
claim  was  sohi  for  >«l(i(),0(i(>  throe  days  ago.  Bonanza  is 
good  also,  aiul  two  or  throe  other  gulches  close  by  show  up 
well.  Every  camp  in  the  Yukon  \' alley  is  deserted  for 
Klondyke.  Wages  there  are  ^\5,  while  ^I'Z  is  the  prevail- 
ing rate  hero.  Xo  *)ne  wants  to  work  for  wages,  but  all 
are  prospecting.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  best  poor  man's 
country  in  the  world  to-i^uy.  A  very  hard  country  to  live 
ui  <m  account  of  the  ni()sf|uituc,s  aiul  pijor  grul),  but  healthy 
and  a  show  to  make  a  ten-slrik^'.  We  heard  that  McCJul- 
lough,  formerly  of  the  Juneau  Hotel,  had  been  drowned 
while  shooting  the  White  Horse  .Hapids  ;  don't  know 
whether  there  is  any  truth  in  It,  as  he  was  bohiiul  us.  A 
number  of  parties  were  swamped  and  lost  their  outfits,  but 
escaped  with  their  lives.  The  tri])  is  anything  but  one  of 
pleasure,  as  you  will  find  if  you  ever  make  it. 


I 

I 


■■    I 


'*FuEJ)  BuEwsTKii  Fay.' 


$80,000    IN    NINETY    DAYS. 


San  Fra)in\sn),  July  24. 

William  Stalley,  his  son,  F.  Phiscaterand  C.  Worden,  all 
of  wliom  left  Seattle  for  the  mines  less  than  a  year  ago, 
have  returned.  PVom  their  claims  they  took  out  gold 
worth  more  than  ^80,000  in  ninety  days,  and  believe 
they  have  only  just  begun  their  work.  They  intend  to 
return  in  March.  I  know  that  the  alxtvc  report  is  correct 
and  the  work  was  done  on  claims  numbers  ^5  and  20  each 
of  500  feet. 


II 


140 


KLOXhYICK  F/irVX 


Mr.  MisTU'i"  wvito;  :  "  Wo  roiiclH'tl  Dawson  about  Ho'ilock 
in  the  nioriuiii;,  .-iiid  foiiiid  one  of  tlic  iivcliosi  iiiiniii^f 
t'luiiiKs  I  ever  saw.  Tlu'ri!  arc  about  four  tboiiSAiwl  lu'uplc 
here,  and  .si'.looiis,  danci'-hallsand  ri'staurant.-^  Mcvcr  close. 
The  j;ui>iblinj(  tables  arc alwuv:,  crowded,  and  thousands  of 
dollars  chaufxc  hands  in  a  rcmarkaltly  short  time.  Men 
who  this  time  last  vcar  did  not  have  a  (.'<dlar  n(»w  count 
thcii'  wealth  by  thousands.  Nearly  everybody  has  a  sack 
of  ;,fold  with  !iini  as  biif  as  a  policeman's  club. 

The  sun  si.iks  ont  of  siufht  now  aboni  l<i.:»()  i'.  M.  and 
comes  upaliout  ;i  A.  m.  .\t  mi(lni,uhi.  how<'ver.  it  is  ahnost 
as  li^ht  as  noonday.  There  is  no  ".liilit.  \l  Dawson  there 
is  a  little  sawmill,  and  r!>n,i;h  houses  are  yoin^  up  in  all 
directions,  but  for  the  most  part  it  is  a  city  of  tents.  On 
the  shore  of  the  river  are  humlreds  of  boats,  and  others  arc 
irettJng  in  every  day. 

Kb)iulyke  has  not  beeu  one  particle  overrated.  I  have 
seen  jxold  measured  nut  bv  the  bucketfu'.  .hist  think  of 
a  man  takiiiij  iS^Voii  out  of  om^  pan  (tf  dirt.  .Mrs.  U'ilson. 
wife  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  ('om])any's  airent.  panm-d 
^\'}-\  out  of  a  sinjjlc  pan  iu  one  of  the  mines  I  am  to  take 
charu^e  of.  This  is  wit luuil  doubt  the  ricdiesf  iri»M  strike 
the  worbl  has  ever  known. 

With  all  the  new  men  in  the  country  many  mib's  of 
new  irrounils  will  hv  jtrospected.  and  from  the  lay  of  the 
land  I  think  other  ^'(»ld  lields  are  certain  to  l)e  located. 
Of  course  every  foot  of  ritdi  ^'rouml  has  an  owm-r.  so  the 
newcomers  have  to  de[)cnd  on  new  strikes.  Mvery  day 
rumors  of  new  discoveries  reach  here,  which  at  once  start 
stampeiles.  an<l  hundreds  rush  out  to  stakes  claims. 


Commissioner   llerchmer.  of    the   .\orth-\\ Cst    .Moujited 


Kl.OXDYh'IC  FACTS. 


141 


Pfiliro,  TJoGfinji.  is  licrc  «>n  his  w.iy  to  Ottiuva  to  nuiko 
arraiis^cnicnts  f(ir;i  iVcsh  coiitiiiijciil  of  itolii't'  tliiitwill  leave 
for  the  Yukon  early  in  the  aittiimii.  ;.  i  stroiiiflv  urjjes  no 
(Hie  to  jjo  this  year,  hut  wait  till  March  next  at  h-ast.  lie 
has  pithered  imich  useful  iiif(trniatioii  from  liis|»ee|oi' 
Svriekland.  The  latter  thinks  everythin;;  of  the  eoimtry. 
and  is  so  anxious  to  j"'t  hack  that  he  has  volunteei-ed  to 
take  the  autumn  foive.  Tiie  Coniinissioner  says  that  al- 
ready the  police  are  l)uildiu;x  new  pusts  at  Dawson  City  and 
Stewart  IJiver,  no  li{,'hv  work,  wlien  it  is  jiointed  out  that 
tlicy  preferred  })ullin;;  down  sonic  liuiidinLTs  forty  miles 
away  to  huntiui^'for  sut!nti(Mit  lo-jfs  for  their  purpose.  The 
w(udth  realized  is  soinethinj::  fahnlous,  Strickland  d";  hired, 
thoiiffh  the  men  will  not  say  whep-  tlufy  nnnle  it  and  how 
mucli  it  amount.'?  to.  Om'  man  in  the  force  sold  (»ut  his 
half  share  in  a  ehiim  for  iJ<+<».(»ii().  Serirt.  Tclfonl  who  is 
pa.ssiu",'  tliroui;]!  tills  we(>k  on  his  way  to  the  Kast  for  two 
or  thre(^  months,  where  he  will  visit  the  princi|)al  cities. 
and  theti  will  leave  for  Ireland,  is  said  to  have  struck  it 
rich,  though  the  ligures  are  not  givei  . 

Tiironiii,   \Vii.<li.,  July  'iX. 


TVarren  Shea,  of  New  Whatcom,  one  of  the  lower  Puiret 
Sound  towns,  sends  the  most  marvellous  news  yet  receiveil 
fnun  the  Klondyke.  Shea  writes  to  his  hrother.  S.  S. 
Shea,  of  New  Whatcom,  that  the  new  hoat  that  comes  liack 
from  the  Klondyke  c(»untry  will  l.r:n>i-  ;/old  out  in  lisli 
harrels  holding  ahout  iweiity-lwo  g.-dlons  each. 

"Two  days  after  the  last  l>oat  left."  Miner  Shea  writ«^ 
"one  of  the  stores  was  dosed  for  the  purpose  of  utili/ing 
it  as  a  warehouse  for  ship|»inir  gold  dust  and  nuggets.  Sr> 
great  was  the  (juantity  of  gold  olTei'cd  for  shipment  that  it 
was  decided  to  shij)  it  in  barrels." 


!•  h 


142 


KLONDYKK  FACTS. 


Siloa  (losoribos  the  scene  as  most  interesting.  Tlio  miners 
giitlierod  iil)oiit  and  speenlutiMl  on  the  aetnal  value  of  their 
jars,  cans  and  sacks  of  gold  anil  told  what  they  would  do 
wi.>h  their  money  wlien  they  got  back  to  civilization. 
Many  gambled  and  spent  their  money  lavishly  for  trinkets 
and  triiles,  paying  ^\i)  for  a  pipe  that  could  be  purchased 
in  any  tobacco  store  in  this  country  for  less  than  25  cents. 


RosshimU  B.  C,  July  27. 

The  Miner  pnl)lishe8  to-day  a  long  letter  from  Hart 
IFutnber  co  Charlie  Collins,  of  Rossland.  I[um))er  left 
Iiossland  for  Klondyk6  last  March,  on  receipt  of  first  news 
of  discoveries  tlicre.  His  letter  deals  with  all  ^diases  of 
I'fc  at  the  mines.  Ii  is  dated  Dawson  City,  June  18,  and 
among  other  things  says  :  "  ( )ur  t  ri j)  from  Dyea  was  full  of 
hairbreadth  escapes,  and  took  seventy-live  days.  I  arrived 
here  June  1),  and  started  work  at  wages  of  ^l.oO  per  hour. 
After  two  or  three  weeks'  work  with  ])i(k  and  shovel,  same 
outfit  will  give  me  a  job  at  an  ouixo  per  day.  (JoM  dust 
fetches  *17  per  ounce  liere.  There  arc  at  least  fifty  men 
going  out  to-morrow.  They  all  arrived  here  broke,  and  are 
taking  (»ut  from  *10,00()  to  :?!  100,000  each.  At  this  season 
of  the  year  the  l)est  time  h  ^ravel  is  at  night,  as  it  is  cooler 
and  as  light  as  day.  Pl.e  thermometer  was  82  in  the  shade 
to-day.  Mosquitoes  are  Jiwfnl.  There  is  more  money  spent 
at  g.imbling  and  for  whisky  hero  in  night  than  in  Ross- 
land  in  a  month.  There  are  more  ways  of  making  money 
here  than  any  place  I  ever  saw  :  drinks  50  cents  ;  hair-cut 

♦  1  ;  shave  50  cents.  Packing  to  mine  costs  25  cents  per 
pound.  This  is  the  ri(!hest  placer  camp  T  everstrunk.  The 
mines  are  fifteen  miles  from  Dawson  City.  One  Xontana 
mail   took  out  #!>(;, ooo  from   45  square   ft^t,  ii"d  MMother 

♦  100,000  from  85  s(piare  feet.     Doiena  of  other,   ic:    Iiave 


KLO\J)Vl\H  FACTS. 


143 


(lone  nearly  as  well.     (Md-tiniors  ('.\|tn'.l.  to  btriku  new  di<^- 
gings  just  as  ricli  this  winter." 


Mil.    Dili  MMON  !•  S  \VAI>. 

//(Hii/i/iui,  ('(iini.,  July  .'il. 

One  (if  the  tirst  |HTsons  to  ret  urn  (o  Ni'w  I'ln^IiiiHl,  t'i'inn 
asucrcssfiil  trip  to  llu;  Ahiska  ^ciMlielils  is  .1. ,).  I  >nmmi(»ii(l. 
of  this  i>hi(U'.  Mr.  Dniiiinionil  hroui^ht  with  I  nn  ;i  <  Ii((|(H' 
for  !{!*),()(><>  Tor^fohl  ht^  carrictl  l<»  S.u)  l^'raneisio  nUvv  ulunil 
a  month  of  active  work  in  the  mines,  lie  left  ;i  thiim 
valued  at  !i«l.")0,(KH>  in  llic  Yukon  rei^non,  whiidi  he  was 
f.fiiuil  Ui  leave  on  account  of  lack  of  provisions. 

He  says  that  the  only  way  the  ■  ichness  of  tlu;  <fohl  terri- 
tory l)eeamc  known  to  the  pnhlic  was  thron,i;h  this  luck  of 
food.  The  country  has  heen  lilhil  with  miners  for  many 
month^  ind  they  would  have  stayed  in  the  gold  region  and 
kept  the  rifdi  linds  a  8e(Tct  if  they  had  heen  iihle.  iJut  on 
returning  to  i\w  settlenuMits  for  [)rovisions  they  found  the 
stores  ein[tii(Ml  and  were;  foi'ccd  to  (ioim;  to  the  Stat,es. 
They,  therefore,  returned  to  their  homes  for  the  winter, 
and  s})read  th(^  stories  of  fahiilous  linds  which  have  set. 
so  many  men  starting  for  Kh)ndyke.  In  the  spring  Mr, 
l)rumnu)nd  will  go  back  to  w(»rk  his  claim,  and  will  prob- 
ably be  accompanied  by  his  brothei  in-law. 


I'H 


rdHcninrr.  /I.  C,  July  ;i8. 


was 


W.  J.  Sloan  has  returned  Irom  Klondyke.  He 
fornu'Hy  a  dry  goods  clerk,  making  a  small  stipend  in 
Wilson's  store.  lie  went  away  a  year  ago  and  returns  with 
*r)(),()00  in  gold  inigLTcts.  washed  from  the  ouiul  on  Bonanza 
Creek,     lie  is  the  lion  of  the  hour  and  is  constantly  sur- 


11 


i> 


144 


KLOSDYKK  FACTS. 


rounded  liy  crowds  attracted  by  the  huge  nuggets  he  car- 
ries in  his  pockets. 

Mr.  Sloan  suy.s  tnin.sportutiun  facilities  are  bad.  He  ad- 
vises the  British  ('((lurnbia  incrcliants  to  band  together  and 
get  a  footJiold  on  the  trade,  which  is  diverted  to  the  States. 

Now  is  not  the  time  to  start,  he  says,  March  is  the  best 
month.  The  routj  by  'relegraph  Bay  to  the  Skeena  is  the 
best  route  for  Caiiiidians.  'J'hcrc  are  no  rapids  or  canons 
as  in  the  White  Horse  Bass.  TJicrc  is  no  doubt  about  the 
value  of  the  Klondyke  diggings,  but  whether  they  are  tlie 
only  ones  is  hard  to  say.  'I'here  are  four  miles  of  them  all 
taken  u[».  Tlicy  average  from  '^'•Un)  to  !i«;:i,000  per  foot. 
]\rr.  Sloan's  partner  was  the  first  to  get  a  bucket  down. 
In  three  Ijucketfuls  they  panned  sJ^Imi.  It  is  a  dreary  c()un- 
try  to  winter  in.  There  arc  hundreds  that  have  not  nuide 
it  pay  ;  l)ut  very  big  wages  can  be  secured,  an  ounce  a  day. 
Any  man  can  get  work, 

Dawson  City  is  at  the  jnnclion  of  (lie  ^'ukon  and  Klon- 
dyke Jxivers.  The  forinei'  river  is  immense  and  puts  the 
Fraser  to  shame.  There  arc  :).(mm)  iidiabitants.  The  tt>wn 
s[»rang  into  existence  three  niontlisago,  but  there  are  already 
B'(t  saloons.  Tiu;  . Mounted  Bol ice  keep  pei-fcct  order  as  is 
seen  in  all  (-auadian  mining  cainjis. 

iiiist  winter  the  sM])ply  of  prov  isjons  was  so  scarce  that 
ilonr  rose  to  *<)()  per  sack,  (iold  dust  and  nuggets  are  the 
only  medium  of  exchange. 


A  MOINTAIN    IllJ,  i)V  (iOlJ). 

Stdihi  liDSd,  Ctth.  July  'U. 

Professor  Olio  l-'ried  Debeinleleben  declares  I  hat  there  is 
a  mountain  of  gold  in  Alaska.  siliiate(|  at  '■>.">  degrees,  ''."t 
nhiutes  and  11   seconds  i.ortli  latitude,  and  W'l  \vr  <    'i»ii- 


KLOSDYKK  FACTS. 


146 


j^itiulc.  The  inoiintiiiii  is  callt'd  .Mount  nt'luMulcK'lu'ii.  in 
honor  of  tlic  professor,  and  was  iianu'd  hy  iMofessor  (Jeo. 
Davidson. 

It  was  in  iSdi;.  whih-  he  was  a  nicnihcr  of  the  famous 
Western  I'nion  'r('h';;ra|>h  h'nssi;iM  extension  e\|uMlitiou 
that  Professor  DeheiKh'h'licn  lir>l  saw  ihe  nnuinlain.  Il  is 
the  liisht;st.  peak  in  all  that  rei^'ion.  lie  says,  and  is  full  of 
K<)kl. 

Many  srienlists  have  lict  ii  (iIiIh'  ojiinion  ilial  all  the 
ji^ohl  that  crops  out  on  this  coast  (anic  sonic  time  friim  a 
jjreat  deposit  in  the  north,  and  the  jirofessor  thinks  that" 
niiglity  Hoods  that  moved  every thin,u'  hefore  them  t-arried 
the  jjohleu  particles  from  the  nuither  lode  to  iichls  further 
south. 

It  was  Professor  iJebendclehcn  who  preparc(l  the  rcpoi't 
ontlie  rtjsources  of  Alaska,  that  went  to  Secretary  of  Slalo 
.Sewartl  which  Mr.  Seward  declared  to  he  one  of  the  mi>st 
comprehensive  th>cunu'nts  of  its  chaiaelcr  excr  compih>d. 
It  was  on  this  re})ort  that  the  Secretary  principallv  relied 
when  urging  tlic  purchase  of  Alaska  from  Kussia  hy  the 
United  Htutes. 


"oll- 


Wiishi inihni .  duly    i'.l. 

More  news  about  lug  strike--  in  the  Kli.inlykc  was  re- 
ceived ti>-day  hy  ('a[)t.  (  .  V.  Shoemaker,  chief  of  the 
revenue  cutte-  .service,  in  a  report  from  ('apt.  K.  L. 
ll()oi>er.  commanding  the  liehring  Sea  patrol  fh'ct.  ('apt. 
Hooper  sent  some  iiteresting  uiformation  ahout  the  gold 
disco' cries  nM-rnil\.  which  was  printe»l  in  the  Star.  His 
reptrt  is  dated  Umiluska.  .lidy  l<i.  This  is  whttt  he  has  t» 
say  alw'iit  tht^  Klondyke  excitement  ; 

'•  'I'he  N'orth  .Vnn-ricaii  Tr.i<ling  and  Tninspoiiatiou 
Cotupany's  steamer   1*  •"*  .in  '   iirrivcd  oi;   the  fth  from  St., 


-I: 

r 

h  1^ 


146 


KLUNDYKK  FACTS. 


Micliucl  witli  iihoiit  lil'lv  iiiiiici's  from  the  N'likoM  iis  piis- 
KmigtTH.  'I'lioso  nuMi  were  fi-oiii  Hie  new  iniiics  rcrcrrcil 
lo  ill  niy  lust  rcjiort,  ami,  liko  tlio.su  who  urrivcil  on  (lie 
Kxcclsiur.  all  have  ;x<>l<l  in  sniiis  varyiii!,'  from  )?<S,(M)(»  or 
*|o,()(M»  to  over  !? I :>(».( »()().  Ill  Llic  ai^^irrc^Mli^  llic  Tctrlland 
had  m-arlv  tlu^  saJiic  amount  as  was  hroii'diL  l»v  tlu^  Iv\(M'1- 
sior,  ahoiii  lialf  a  miilio'i.  Allthisaiul  niiich  more  that  has 
not  been  hron^ihi  down  has  hci-ii  taken  out  of  I  hi!  mines 
siiKio  their  dis(M)very  last  Au;,'ust. 

"Oiu!  man,  a  Mr.  lierre,  of  California,  who  last  Sep- 
temlier  was  in  deht  for  his  oiillit,  t(»ok  out  over  %1."»(>,00() 
whih'  merely  prospect inuf  elaim  No.  10  on  Uoiianza  Creek, 
which  he  had  staki-d  out.  With  part  of  this  i,^>ld  he 
hoii;;ht  an  interest  in  three  other  claims,  which  promise 
to  he  as  rich  as  the  first  (tue.  I'\  I'hiscater,  who  jirevious 
to  his  stakin^if  out  claim  No.  t*  on  the  Midorado,  was  a 
waiter  on  one  of  tim  river  steamers,  took  out  Jj^IMJ, ()()() 
while  merely  ])rospeetii).ii:  his  claim,  the  whole  of  which  is 
estimated  to  he  worth  over  a  million  dollars.  Many  similar 
cases  are  reported,  which  indicate  that  the  lu'w  mining 
region  is  the  richest  yet  diseovere(l  on  this  continent.  Of 
eourse,  all  this  will  attract  a  great  many  men.  and  as  the 
means  of  getting  provisions  to  tlio  mines  are  hut  little 
hetfer  than  last  year,  when  with  only  two  thousand  men 
to  provide  for  food  was  scan-e  and  hiirh,  it  will  jirohably 
result  in  want." 

PROSPETtOrs  TV    1S,S(». 

In  IHHi't  few  of  the  men  in  Forty  Mile  Creek  were  content 
with  ground  yielding  less  than  if<14  a  day,  and  several  of 
them  rejMirted  to  the  envoys  of  tlu!  Canadian  (Joverniut'iit 
that  several  had  taken  out  nearly  ><l(iO  a  day  for  a  short 
tin»e.      With   the   few  men  at  work  and  their  exceedingly 


KLOSDYKE  IWCTS. 


117 


limited  facilities  this  little  streaiii  in  1SS7  p;ave  14)  alxtiit 
*  I. ■)(»,()()()  ill  <(ol«l.  At  this  time  the  total  iiiimher  of  miners 
in  the  entire  territory  of  the  Upper  Vnkoii  was  less  than 
two  huudred  and  fifty  and  none  of  them  wintered  there. 


SCHOOL   TKACIIKK   IN    l,!(K. 

S<'/i  Francisco,  July  31. 

The  latest  arrival  from  the  Klondyke  is  Albert  D.  (Jray 
formerly  a  school  teacher  in  Tirand  Hapids,  Mich.  Mr. 
Gray  got  here,  bringing  !?<.'{(>.(>()()  In  nuggets.    * 

lie  says  Iv  v-lie  lirst  man  who  went  to  Dawson  by  the 
Stikino  l^iver  route.  ITe  ])redicts  that  this  will  noon  l)c 
the  favorite  route  to  the  ijfold  di'^'nuij^s.  He  savn  that 
the  entire  Northwest  is  interested  in  the  re])ort  tluit  the 
(anadian  (iovernment  is  contemplating  the  building  of  u 
railway  from  Telegraph  Creek  to  Lake  Teslin.  From  thi*' 
lake  to  Dawson  City  there  would  be  clear  navigation  if 
the  rocks  on  tlie  Yukon  200  miles  above  Dawson  were 
blasted  out. 


m 
i 


WH.VT  oNi:  itUAVi;  woman  did. 

]\Irs.  J.  T.  AN'iils,  of  thisciiy,  who  saysshe  went  "  through 
death"  to  seek  Alaska  gold,  is  a  pioneer  of  the  pioneers. 
She  has  pioneered  it  in  .New  Mexico,  Colorado  and  Wash- 
ington. She  is  an  Iowa  wonuin.  and  reared  threr;  daughters 
in  ^[issouri,  where  slw!  married  a  nuin  named  Mercer. 

Kight  years  ago  she  struck  'I'acoma  during  the  big 
Northwestern  boom,  and  mai-ried  J.  T.  Wills,  a  gun  and 
lock  smith.  As  the  boom  subsided  it  l)ecamc  too  quiet  in 
Washington  for  Mrs.  Wills,  and  she  journeyed  to  Alaska. 
She  was  the  pioneer  woman  gold-hunter  of  that  section. 


U8 


KLOSDYKK  l-'ACTS. 


\l 


At  lirst  .^ho  Imko*]  brcud  and  (mikIucIi'iI  ii  laundry  at 
Circle  City.  Ilcr  stove  would  \nikv  only  two  loaves  at  ft 
time,  bnt  at  sfel  jxt  loaf  she  iii{inuf,^e(l  to  net  *l-t  per  day. 
She  also  did  plain  sewin-r  f<»r  the  luiiun's.  and  introduced 
the  first  Htarehed  .shirt  into  the  Kl  l)(»rado  of  the  far  north. 

When  the  word  came  down  the  Yukon  that  there  was 
fabulously  rich  pay  "dirt"  on  the  Klondyke.  .Mrs,  Wills 
joined  the  stampede.  Sjie  wi-nt  in  with  a  party  of  cattle- 
men. The  trip  was  roufjh  and  excitinjr.  hut  Mrs.  Wills 
did  not  complain,  and  was  not  a  burden  to  the  nu'u  who 
led  the  spurt  for  the  new  di;;gings. 

On  a  former  occasion,  however,  she  did  not  fare  so  woli. 
On  the  way  into  the  mines  she  became  very  sick,  and  for 
four  days  it  was  feared  she  would  die.  Slu'  was  the  only 
wonnin  in  a  jtarty  of  IKi  rough  miners  from  ail  parts  of  the 
world.  The  miners  did  not  think  of  leaving  her  b(diind 
while  life  remaim-d,  but.  as  one  of  them  said  on  returning 
here  last  spring.  ••  If  she  had  died  we  would  have  made  a 
cottin  of  her  blanket  and  dropju'd  in  r  int(»  a  crevice  in  the 
ice.  and  pushed  forward  as  if  nothing  had  ha[>pened."' 

When  .Mrs.  Wills  reached  Dawson  City  she  made  a  dash 
with  the  best  of  the  men  for  a  claim.  Hut  as  the  value  of 
the  surrounding  claims  c;ime  to  be  worth  ^eio.Ooo  to 
!«<100.000,  claim-jumping  began,  and  .Mrs.  Wills  had  to 
tight  like  a  will-breaker  for  her  j)roperty.  It  is  valued  at 
at  least  *-^o(i.(»Oti. 

While  holding  on  to  ln-r  claim  Mrs.  ^VilIS  spends  her 
leisure  moments  earning  -1(1')  per  day  as  head  cook  for  the 
.Vlaska-Commercial  Comiianv,  at  Dawson  Citv. 


.V   \V«)X1)ERFIL  T.\LK. 


Captain    Harry    Meggs.    I'jiited  States   army    (retired), 
tells  a  wonderful  tale  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Alaska  in 


KLOSDYKE  FACTS. 


149 


the  latter  part  of  the  sixties.  He  was  on  duty  in  that 
country  at  that  time  at  a  point  near  Juneau.  Ho  says 
that  even  in  those  early  days  groat  lunii)8  of  gold  were 
exhibited  by  natives. 

•'Often  natives  from  the  interior  would  come  down 
wearing  necklaces  made  of  nuggets  picked  up  from  creeks 
ill  the  interior/"  he  said  :  "At  one  time  there  was  a  tribe 
which  had  been  conquered  by  another,  and  a  penalty  was 
exacted.  Some  of  the  conquered  tribe  cauie  over  Chilkoot 
Pass  with  a  certain  amount  of  gold,  which,  on  being 
weigbcil,  was  found  to  be  short  of  tlu;  price  demanded  by 
the  con(|uerors.  Several  chiefs  were  held  as  hostages,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  tribe  was  directed  to  cross  the  moun- 
tains and  procure  enough  to  liberate  them.  They  were 
gone  several  nn>nths,  aiul  when  they  came  back  an  amount 
nu)re  than  needed  to  ]iay  the  ransom  was  brought  in.  No 
one  could  ascertain  whence  the  gold  came,  but  from  the 
direction  in  which  ihey  went  ami  the  length  of  tlnu!  they 
occnpieil  in  making  the  trij)  it  was  believed  that  tiiey  went 
many  miles  inland. 

"  I  believe  that  these  nu'U  went  into  the  passes  ol"  tlio 
Klondyke  country  and  j>icked  u]i  by  the  crude  means  at 
their  commaiul  the  gold  needed  to  compU'te  the  ransom. 
It  was  a  topic  of  discussion  among  those  who  were  detailed 
on  duty  at  that  time,  and  many  plans  were  laid  to  procure 
information  as  to  the  location  of  the  gold,  but  the  natives 
kept  th.e  matter  secret  and  would  never  disclose  whence 
they  derived  their  treasure."' 


:|i 


150 


KLOSDIKK  FACTS. 


CIIAPTKR  XTTT. 


K  r,()  v  i>  Y  K  i:    V  A  (vr  s. 


I; 


Ki.ovdykkI  Kloiidykc,  tlio  imiiio  tlmt  has  bocorno 
fuiiious  thr()U;j;li()iit  tlie  world  jiiid  which  Wiis  not  lioiu-fl  of 
two  short  months  a^o,  i.s  taken  from  tlu'  Indian  namo 
"  'IMiron-Diuck,"  whidi  means '•  Kivcr  with  plenty  of  fish.'* 
IV'oplo  ill  the  region,  however,  do  not  use  the  nanu!  Klon- 
dyke.  as  nsed  in  the  Kast. 

(Jold  was  (Irst  disijovered  in  the  Kloiidyke  re;;ion  hy  a 
man  named  Henderson,  Angust  *^4th,  'DO.  Prior  to  that 
there  was  no  civilization  there  wlnit(!Vor. 

It  was  on  Angust  :l*4,  when  Henderson,  who  had  l)eon 
prosj)e(!ting  for  four  years  in  Indian  Creek,  a  tributary  of 
the  Yukon,  found  himself  in  ai)othcr  little  stream  bed 
known  as  (iold  Hottoni,  near  the  Yukon,  the  high  water 
having  driven  him  out  of  Indian  Creek.  He  was  jjrospect- 
ing  around,  hoi)ing  to  find  sonu'thing  as  good  as  the 
gnumd  seemed  to  contain.  After  a  time  he  ]>anm'd  out  a 
little  gold  and  put  in  a  sluice  box  (»r  two.  In  a  very  short 
time  ho  ran  out  of  su})[)lies  and  went  bacik  to  Fort  Ogilvie, 
where  I  was  stationed,  and  rei)orte(l  the  find  to  mo.  I  lost 
no  time  getting  myself  in  readiness  to  proceed  to  the  spot 
at  once,  and  by  August  "28,  I  had  two  nuMi  and  four 
horses  in  (Jold  Hottom.  In  the  meantinn>.  Henderson 
drifted  down  the  mouth  of  the  Klondyke  in  a  small  boat. 


KLOSUYKK  FACTS. 


ir.i 


iiml  found  George  McCormack.  nii  (»1(1  friend  of  his,  wlut 
was  tishing  for  nalnion.  Ilnntiiig  iip  his  friends  when 
there  was  anythin<;  in  si<,d»t  seenu-d  to  he  on(»  of  Hender- 
son's hest  traits.  lie  got  AreCornniek  m|i  to  (lohl  Hottoni, 
when^  ho  loeateil  a  ( l.iiin,  })r()s]»eete(l  anmnd  u  uhile.  and 
started  har^k  across  eonntry  forthe  month  of  the  Klondyk<' 
Ifiver,  a  <listane(^  of  twenty  iniU's. 

That  trip  was  (hstiiied  t(>  play  an  important  part  in  the 
events  wiiieii  f(dlowed,  f(»r  tlirongh  it  occurred  oim  of 
the  big  finds.  McCornuick  took  witli  him  twoChilkat  In- 
dians, ami  th«^  three  nn'n  went  olT  in  the  direction  of  Bo- 
nanza Creek,  when;  tlie  wliite  man  struck  gravi'l  that  went 
^■•.r»0  to  the  pan.  According  to  tlie  mining  hiws  in  Cana- 
dian possessions,  tin*  dis(!ov<'rer  can  h)cate  an  (wlra  (daim 
for  himself  as  a  nnvard  for  making  the  Iiml.  So  McCor- 
ma<'k  took  np  two  locations  and  the  Indians  om^  eacdi. 
They  set  to  work  at  once  and  took  ont  ^I'H)  in  gold  i/i 
tliHie  days  with  little  less  than  a  pan.  Then  they  canu) 
down  to  Fort  Ogilvie  and  repo,  anl  the  find. 

That  report  whi(di  was  spread  hy  ^[eCormack,  had  the 
immediate  elTect  of  semling  a  thrill  of  excitenwiit  along 
the  Yukon,  from  the  headwaters  down  to  Forty  Mih*  and 
( 'irch;  City.  As  though  by  magic,  the  trails  wi-re  sprinkled 
with  pack  mules,  and  the  river  was  dotted  with  small  craft 
Cftmlng  np  or  going  down  to  the  new  diggings,  as  the  case 
may  be.  In  less  than  ten  days  there  were  about  loO  miners 
at  W(n*k  on  now  elaims. 

Strangely  enough,  and  as  if  by  some  great  good  fortune, 
I  had  conu' down  the  river  about  the  same  time  MeCornniek 
h>ft  (told  Bottom,  and  had  pi<'ked  ont  a  tovvn  site  whi're 
Dawson  City  now  stands,  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from 
tlu^  Bonanza  Creek  claims.  In  this  respect  I  was  very  for- 
tunate, as  it  now  stands  in  tin,'  midst  of  what  is  called 
Bonanza  Ciold  Alining  District,  and  all  claims  are  sorecord- 


i  i 


HMM 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


^ 


A 


,v  m 


s 


4>    .^^'  ^^T^/ 


5?i 


t<»/ 


V 


f/j 


fA 


1.0 


I.I 


m  m 
^  IIIIM 


IIM 

2.0 

1.8 


1.25      1.4 

i6L 

-m 6"     — 

► 

Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


'^ 


<  •:> 


if 


152 


KLONDVKK  FACTS. 


ed.  As  a  matter  of  fact  there  is  no  other  suitable  pUiec 
for  a  town  site,  and  I  consider  myself  lucky  in  getting  hold 
of  it.  I  commenced  erecting  the  first  house  in  that  region 
on  September  1st,  1890,  Within  six  months  from  that 
date  there  were  over  five  hundred  houses  erected,  M'hich  in- 
cluded stores,  supply  stations,  liotels,  restaurants,  saloons, 
and  residences.  The  place  immediately  became  a  bee-liive 
of  vigorous  industry,  and  the  miner  cui  obtain  anytliing 
he  refjuires  at  Dawson  City.  I  hold  ITS  acres,  while  the 
remaining  twenty-two  are  the  property  of  tlie  CJovernment. 
The  Yukon  at  that  point  is  (JOO  yards  across  and  about 
thirty-five  fathoms  deep,  with  natural  advantages  for  pro- 
tection of  craft.  Dawson  City  is  just  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Klondyke  liiver.  I  named  it  after  Dr.  Dawson ,  who  es- 
tablished the  boundary  line  that  is  iu)w  recognized  as  the 
correct  line  dividing  Alaska  from  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory. It  runs  due  north  from  ]\rount  St.  Klias  to  Point 
Demarcation  to  the  lUst  meridiar..  That,  of  course,  cuts 
all  the  present  location  with  the  exception  of  those  at 
Forty  Mile  out  of  United  States  possessions.  There  is  no 
cause  for  dispute  on  that  score  at  all.  It  is  purely  a  Cana- 
dian section,  and  is  under  Canadian  laws, 

Just  as  soon  as  the  rush  began  at  lionanza  Creek  the 
miners  called  a  meeting,  aiul  in  order  that  tiie  claims  be 
relocated  and  made  sure  of,  it  was  decided  to  measure  them 
all  off  Avith  a  rope  and  reset  the  stakes  that  defined  them. 
Somehow  or  other  the  men  selected  to  make  the  measure- 
ments slid  in  a  forty  instead  of  a  fift^^  foot  rope,  and  thus 
made  the  claims  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  short  in  tlie 
total.  In  other  words  they  were  condensed,  and  the  inter- 
vening ground  was  literally  grabbed.  This  state  of  aifairs 
incensed  the  miners  so  that  when  they  made  the  discovery 
of  how  the  measurements  were  conducted,  they  petitioned 
William  Ogilvie,  tlie  Dominion  Land  Surveyor,  to  come  up 


■■i 


M 


i<  Li) Ah VkJii  FA VTS. 


m 


tiling 


to  Bonanza  Creek  at  onoe  and  settle  the  complications  that 
were  arising.  He  re-surveyed  the  whole  group  of  claims 
and  the  matter  was  then  adjusted  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
hands. 

It  must  he  remembered  that  the  total  gold  regions  to-day 
do  not  extend  over  an  area  of  :20()  square  miles  from  Daw- 
son City. 

There  are  good  pay  diggings  at  Circle  City  in  Alaska.  I 
know  of  at  least  twenty  good  claims  there  ;  l)ut  the  phice 
has  been  pr.actically  deserted  owing  to  the  rush  to  Klon- 
dyke. 

Fort  Cudahy  or  Forty  Mile  Creek  is  deserted.  There 
will  undoubtedly  be  new  and  valuable  diggings  discovered 
next  year  in  the  Klondyke  region  which  will  create  emi- 
gration to  various  points  at  present  unknown. 


Dr.  \\ .  II.  Did!,  of  the  >»atioiiai  Museum  of  Washing- 
ton, is  no  hare])r!iined  enthusiast  and  says  he  has  spent 
much  time  in  the  Yukon  Valley  on  geographical  expedi- 
tions, lie  is  a  scientific  expert.  lie  has  no  axe  to  grind. 
He  unhesitatingly  accei)t8  the  repoi-ts  that  come  from  that 
portion  of  the  Yukon  ^'n11ev  which  lies  just  beyond  the 
American  boundary.  Tic  has  known  for  twenty  years  past 
that  gold  existed  in  the  bed  of  tiu'  ^'ukon  River,  though, 
not  in  large  eiu)Ugh  (|uantities  to  make  mining  very  profi- 
table, and  he  has  suspected  that  it  existed  in  infinitely 
larger  quantities  in  the  various  tributaries  that  empty 
into  the  great  river.  He  holds  that  the  Klondyke  aiul  the 
streams  that  feed  it  represent  but  a  very  small  portion  of 
these  gold  yielding  tributaries.  Fu  short,  his  opinion  is 
that  the  gold-deposits  exist  over  a  length  of  five  or  six  hun- 
dred mill's.  lie  scents  no  exaggeration  in  the  reports  that 
liave  (H)mc  in  <o  far  from  the  comparatively  snnill  Klon- 
dyke regions. 


'I   i 


154 


KLONDVKE  FA(rrs. 


Everytljing  points  to  tluf  fiict  tliut  tlio  gorjjfooiis  times 
of  I.S4!)  arc  to  ht^  repcuttMl  on  a  iiioro  i)ro(ligioiis  scalo. 

Tlio  following  report  niado  by  Mr.  Ogilvio  in  January, 
1H!)(!,  will  bo  of  interest  to  the  intending  prospector. 


if: 


CuDAHY,  8th  January,  1896. 

I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  the  following  interim  report  of 
my  o])erations  since  I  came  into  this  territory  : — 

I  have  already  sent  out  a  short  report  f.om  this  i)lace  being 
fortunate  enough  to  catch  the  boat  here  when  I  came  down. 
In  that  report  I  made  some  remarks  on  the  town  sites  in  our 
territory ;  since  then  I  have  learned  nothing  of  importance 
in  that  connection,  the  most  noteworthy  fact  being  that  gold 
bearing  quartz  has  been  found  in  Cone  hill  which  stands  mid- 
way in  the  valley  of  the  Forty  Mile  River,  a  couple  of  miles 
above  the  junction  with  the  Yukon.  The  quantity  in  sight 
rivals  that  of  the  Treadwell  mine  on  the  coast,  and  the  quality 
is  better,  so  much  so  that  it  is  thought  it  will  pay  well  to  work 
it  even  under  the  conditions  existing  here.  Application  has 
been  made  to  purchase  it,  and  an  expert  is  now  engaged  in 
putting  in  a  tunnel  to  test  the  extent.  Indications  in  sight 
point  to  the  conclusion  that  the  whole  hill  is  composed  of  this 
metalliferous  rock.  If  the  test  corroborate  this,  a  stamp  mill 
will  be  erected  next  season,  which  will  have  an  important  bear- 
ing on  the  future  of  this  country.  If  this  venture  succeeds,  (as 
it  doubtless  will,  for  it  is  in  the  hands  of  parties  who  are  able 
to  push  it)  it  will  g  ve  permanent  employment  to  a  good  many 
men,  who  with  their  families  will  form  quite  a  community. 

Apart  from  this  I  cannot  see  very  nnich  of  a  chance  for  spec- 
ulation in  buying  or  selling  town  sites ;  and  my  opinion  is 
confirmed  by  the  present  condition  of  Forty  Mile,  which  now 
contains  very  few  people,  the  great  majority  of  the  miners  re- 


KLONDYKK  FyK'TS. 


155 


maining  on  their  claims  all  winter,  coming  in  only  once  or 
twice  for  supplies.  Even  in  the  case  of  the  mine  at  Cone  hill 
being  worked,  only  a  village  would  be  formed  around  it. 

Outside  of  all  such  considerations,  the  i)resent  a')i)licants  for 
Forty  Mile  and  Cudahy  town  sites  have  either  directly  or  in- 
directly occupied  the  present  sites  for  years  and  s]:)cnt  thou- 
sands of  dollars  improving  and  building  on  them.  One  house 
erected  in  Forty  Mile  last  summer  is  said  to  have  cost  $10,000. 
It  would  cost  between  two  antl  three  thousand  in  Ottawa. 
These  improvements  cover  so  much  ground  that  even  if  it  were 
decided  to  lay  out  the  town  site  and  convey  it  in  lots  the  ap- 
])licants  would  have  a  claim  to  most  of  the  ground  they  ask  for. 


A  couple  of  coal  claims  have  been  staked  and  applied  for, 
which  I  will  survey  in  the  spring,  and  at  the  same  time  make 
an  examination  of  the  coal  area  where  they"  are.  I  may  anti- 
cipate this  to  a  certain  extent  by  saying  that,  a  few  days  after 
1  reported  to  you  last  fall,  I  went  up  Coal  creek  to  search  for 
this  coal,  to  which  1  referred  in  my  rejiort  of  1887  and  1888. 
1  found  it  about  7  miles  up  the  creek  overlying  a  coarse  sand- 
stone and  under  drift  clay  and  gravel. 

The  seam  is  12  feet  6  inches  thick.  It  seems  to  me  to  be 
a  good  quality  of  lignite.  I  have  packed  30  to  40  pounds  of 
the  best  specimens  I  found  a  few  feet  in,  and  will  send  them 
out  to  you  in  the  spring,  that  a  test  may  be  made.  That  ex- 
posure has  now  been  staked  and  applied  for  to  the  agent  here. 
I  judge  from  the  position  of  these  coal  claims  that  we  have  quite 
an  area  of  coal  here.  Both  exposures  furnish,  as  far  as  external 
features  show,  the  same  character  of  coal,  and  are  about  the 
same  level,  so  that  it  is  fair  to  assume  they  are  in  the  same 


i.i'i 


150 


KLONDYKK  FAVTti. 


seam.  I  will  make  a  search  in  the  intervening  distance  to  delef- 
mine  this  when  I  make  a  survey  of  the  claims.  Coal  is  rejiorted 
in  the  drift  on  Chandindu,  about  30  miles  up  the  river  from 
here,  which  would  go  to  show  that  there  is  another  area  or  a 
continuation  of  this  one  there. 

On  my  way  down  the  river  I  saw  the  copper-bearing  vein 
near  Thron-Diuck  Creek  above  Fort  Reliance.  It  does  not 
appear  to  be  extensive,  but  there  are  several  small  veins  in  the 
vicinity,  and  it  may  be  that  a  commercially  valuable  deposit 
may  be  found  ;  about  25  miles  further  down  I  found  a  small 
vein  which  indicates  that  this  copper  deposit  is  extensive.  f 

I  found  a  small  seam  of  rather  poor  asbestos  a  short  distance 
from  Cudahy,  and  as  there  is  (juite  an  extensive  area  of  ser- 
pentine around  here,  asbestos  may  yet  be  found  of  commercial 
value. 

Very  rich  placer  diggings  are  now  being  worked  on  the  creeks 
flowing  into  Sixty  Mile,  part  of  which  are  supposed  to  be  in 
Canada.  1  shall  be  able  to  say  definitely  when  1  produce  the 
line  that  far  where  they  are  and  how  much  we  have  of  them. 

ICxcept  in  the  vicinity  of  I'brty  Mile  there  a])pears  to  be 
nothing  doing  in  the  way  of  quartz  ])rospecting. 

l^st  season  good  placer  mines  were  found  on  the  Hootalin- 
qua — Teslin  of  Dawson — with  coarse  gold  in  them,  and  there 
will  probably  be  a  lot  of  claims  worked  there  next  season. 
Several  miners  were  wintering  there  to  commence  operations 
early  in  the  spring.  A  great  deal  of  improvement  has  been 
introduced  in  the  working  of  placer  diggings,  which  has  much 
increased  the  output.  The  miner  instead  of  putting  in  the 
winter  months  in  the  towns  and  saloons  remains  on  his  claim 
all  winter,  cutting  wood  in  the  earlier  months,  with  which  he 
builds  fires  and  thaws  the  frozen  gravel,  piling  it  up  to  be 
washed  as  soon  as  the  flow  of  water  in  the  sjiring  will  permit. 
In  this  way  the  work  is  more  than  doubled,  but  as  the  supply 


A/.OA'/>r/i/!,'  FACTS. 


i:>7 


tf  wood  IS  very  limited  except  on  tlie  main  river  this  cannot 
always  be  done. 

TIMRER. 

The  timber  fit  for  buildings  and  lumber  is  fast  disappearing 
along  the  river,  and  in  a  few  years  there  will  be  none  left  near 
here.  There  is  a  portable  saw-mill  at  Fort  Ogilvie — loo  miles 
above  this — and  one  here,  whi<:h  yearly  cut  a  good  deal  of 
lumber.  Were  all  this  utilized  in  Canada  nothing  might  be 
said  of  it,  but  some  of  it  goes  down  the  river  into  American 
territory,  in  addition  to  which  a  good  deal  of  wood  and  logs 
are  cut  on  our  side  and  floated  into  Alaska  where  it  is  sold. 
Some  men  make  a  business  of  this,  and  on  this  at  least  the 
department  might  collect  dues.  There  is  very  little  good  tim- 
ber on  the  American  side  of  the  line,  hence  the  demand  for  our 
timber.  ' 


supply 


The  police  have  so  far  made  a  \ery  favorable  impression, 
aud  the  general  policy  of  the  government  in  connection  with 
this  district  is  admired. 

It  is  probable  the  boundaries  of  the  i)olice  jurisdiction  may 
have  to  be  extended  in  the  near  future,  for  a  good  deal  of 
trading  is  done  on  the  head  waters  of  the  river  l)y  parties  who 
cross  the  summit  of  the  coast  ])asses  with  goods  from  Juneau. 
Also  the  miners  on  the  head  waters  and  on  the  Hootalinqua 
bring  in  their  supplies  from  Juneau.  Now  one  of  the  traders 
here — Har])er — has  a  small  steamboat  named  the  "  Heaver," 
which  he  got  in  last  season  for  the  express  purpose  of  reaching 
the  upper  jxnrts  of  the  river  and  its  affluents  with  supplies,  and, 
having  paid  duty  on  all  his  foreign  goods,  expects  to  be  pro- 


ir>8 


KhONDYKK  FAdTS. 


tected  against  smuggled  goods.  Sliould  the  Hootalinqua  turn 
out  as  expected  and  promised,  a  police  force  will  be  required 
there.  Harper  will  try  hard  to  get  uj)  with  supplies  to  it  and 
Teslin  Lake.  I  fancy  he  can  lay  ilown  most  things  there  as 
cheaply  as  they  can  be  brought  over  the  jxiss.  It  costs  5 14  to 
$15 — sometimes  more — per  100  ])ounds  to  transport  from  'J  aiya 
to  the  lakes,  which  makes  flour  cost  ;f!i6  to  $17,  per  hundred 
at  the  lake,  while  it  costs  or  is  sold  here  for  $8.  Things  here 
are  sold  so  low  now  that  were  1  ever  coming  in  from  the  Paci- 
fic again  I  would  bring  nothing  in  ([uantity  but  bacon,  on  which 
I  might  save  a  dollar  or  two  a  hundred,  it  being  sold  here  for 
$30  to  ^35  per  hundred.  *  *  *  * 

I  have  produced  the  boundary  line  about  five  miles  north  of 
where  it  crosses  the  Yukon  River,  which  is  as  far  as  I  thought 
needful  at  present.  I  have  also  jiroduced  it  about  7  miles 
south,  and  about  the  end  of  F'ebruary  will  resume  work  and  run 
it  as  far  as  Sixty  Mile  River.  In  connection  with  this  1  have 
occupied  six  photograph  stations  and  developed  all  the  plates 
exposed  which  have  turned  out  satisfactorily.  I  have  made 
a  cross  section  measurement  of  the  Yukon  River  where  the 
boundary  crosses  it. 


In  the  vicinity  of  the  river  I  have  opened  out  a  wide  line  in 
the  woods  which  will  remain  visible  for  several  years,  but  I 
erected  nothing  permanent  on  it. 


Up  to  date  our  lowest  temperature  has  been  6^°  below  zero. 
The  winter  has  been  unusually  windy.     Coming  up  here  we  had 


KLOyiJYKE  FACTS. 


lf)9 


to  face  a  strong  wind  when  52"  below  zero,  and  frozen  faces 
and  noses  where  the  rule  of  the  day. 

CuDAHY,  loth  June,  1896. 

I  submit  the  following  interim  report  of  my  operations  in  the 
Yukon  District  up  to  date. 


After  ni}  return  there  was  some  fine  clear  weather  in  January, 
but  it  was  exceedingly  cold,  more  than  60°  below  zero,  one 
night  68°5  ;  and  as  I  had  both  my  ears  pretty  badly  frozen  and 
could  not  go  out  in  such  cold  without  having  them  covered,  so 
that  I  could  not  hear  the  chronometer  beat,  I  could  not  obser\  c 
until  the  end  of  the  month  when  we  had  two  fine  nights — 29th 
and  30th —  mild  enough  for  me  to  work. 


a^ 


Having  reduced  all  my  observations,  and  the  days  having 
attained  a  reasonable  length,  I  went  into  camp  on  tlic  line  on 
the  20th  February,  resuming  work  on  the  22nd.  IJut  as  the 
hill  tops  are  all  bare  and  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  above 
the  river  we  lost  many  days  through  the  fierce  winds. 

Our  progress  was  necessarily  slow  for  this  reason  and  also 
from  the  fact  that  I  photographed  from  several  stations,  which 
took  some  time.  As  there  were  no  important  creeks  between 
the  Yukon  and  Forty  Mile  Rivers  I  did  not  cut  the  line  out 
continuously,  but  left  it  so  that  any  one  wishing  to  can  place 
himself  on  or  very  near  to  the  line.  The  distance  from  the 
Yukon  to  Forty  Mile  River  is  a  little  over  twenty-five  miles. 


IGO 


KLONDYEK  FACTS. 


In  the  valleys  along  the  line  the  timber  was  thick,  with  much 
underbrush,  but  vltv  little  of  it  is  of  much  value.  Curiously 
enough  the  line  kept  generally  in  the  valleys  or  on  the  sides  of 
them,  and  very  little  of  it  was  in  the  open.  Going  from  point 
to  point  we  had  to  follow  as  much  as  possible  the  hill  toi)s  and 
ridges.  I  reached  T'orty  Mile  River  with  this  survey  on  the 
13th  March.  »om  this  point  southwards  there  are  many 
streams  cut  by  the  line,  all  of  which  are  more  or  less  gold- 
bearing  and  all  have  been  more  or  less  prospected.  This  ne- 
cessitated my  cutting  the  line  out  continuously  froui  Forty  Mile 
River  onwards,  which  increased  oiir  work  very  much.  The 
valleys  traversed  are  generally  upwards  of  i  ,000  feet  deep  and 
often  very  steep,  so  that  the  work  was  exceedingly  laborious. 

Transporting  our  outfit  from  camj)  to  camp  was  often  a  very 
hard  task  as  the  hills  were  so  steep  everything  had  to  be  packed 
up  them,  which  in  the  deep  soft  snow  was  anything  but  easy. 
I  reached  a  point  within  two  miles  of  Sixty  Mile  River  on  the 
14th  April,  and  as  I  had  ]jassed  all  the  creeks  of  any  note,  and 
many  of  them  were  already  running  water  and  our  way  lay 
down  them,  I  thought  it  well  to  (]uit  work  on  the  line  and  re- 
turn to  Forty  Mile  and  Cudahy,  and  attend  to  the  local  surveys 
there.  The  weather  was  fine  and  warm,  and  so  much  water 
ran  in  the  creeks  by  which  we  had  to  return  that  we  coukl  only 
travel  a  few  hours  in  the  early  morning  and  forenoon.  Had 
the  season  been  more  favorable  I  would  have  visited  (ilacier 
and  Miller  Creeks  which  were  generally  sujiposed  to  be  in 
Alaska,  but  are  found  to  run  in  Canada  for  some  distance. 
They  are  the  two  richest  creeks  yet  found  on  the  Yukon  and 
are  both  tributaries  of  Sixty  Mile  River.  Both  creeks  are  fully 
located  and  worked,  each  claim  being  500  feet  along  the  creek 
and  the  width  of  the  valley  or  creek  bed.  'I'here  are  nearly 
100  claims,  all  of  which  pay  well.  One  on  Miller  Creek  I 
understand  will  yield  75  to  80  thousand  dollars  this  season, 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS, 


IGl 


ill! 


and  the  owner  will  net,  it  is  saitl,  between  40  and  50  thou;iind 
dollars.  He  took  out,  it  is  reported,  nearly  half  that  suiu  last 
year  off  the  same  claim,  and  ex])ects  to  do  e<iually  well  next 
year.  This  is  much  the  richc-i:  claim  yet  found,  but  all  on 
those  creeks  do  well.  There  are  many  other  creeks  in  this 
vicinity  yet  to  be  prospected  and  some  will,  I  have  no  doubt, 
pay  well.  Gold  is  found  all  along  the  valley  of  Sixty  Mile 
River,  and  under  more  favorable  (•on(lill.)ns,  both  mercantile 
and  climatic,  it  would  yield  good  results  to  large  enterprise  s. 
The  mercantile  conditions  will  improve  ;  the  climate  is  a  serious 
difficulty  but  will  be  surmounted  in  time,  I  believe.  Along  the 
last  10  or  12  miles  of  the  line  1  ran,  the  mountains  consist 
principally  of  quartz  and  schists,  whiih  no  doubt  originally  held 
the  gold  found  in  the  valleys  and  doubtless  hold  some  yet. 
Several  men  have  taken  to  ([uartz  prosjjccting,  and  from  indi- 
cations which  I  will  dwell  on  later  I  lielieve  we  are  on  the  eve 
of  some  magnificent  discoveries. 

The  miners  on  all  the  creeks  referred  to  have  (juietly  ac- 
cepted my  line  as  the  boundary //v;  A///,  and  as  far  as  I  can 
learn  at  present  the  general  feeling  is  satisfaction  that  one  can 
now  know  where  he  is.  l!ven  if  the  line  is  not  final,  no  one 
doubts  its  being  very  near  the  final  position.  As  far  as  run  it 
is  marked  by  cairns  of  stones  wherever  it  was  possible  to  ])ro- 
cure  them  with  reasonable  time  and  labor,  and  is  cut  through 
the  woods  and  blazed  so  that  no  one  who  wants  to  find  it  can 
mistake  it.  Another  source  of  satisfaction  to  all  is  that  they 
now  know  distances  and  directions.  Many  miners  remark  to 
me,  "  We  now  know  how  we  are  going,  we  can  see  where  south 
is."  In  this  high  latitude  in  the  summer  months  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  tell  when  the  sun  is  near  the  meridian  because  its  change 
in  altitude  is  so  litde  for  8  or  9  hours,  consequently  any  point 
between  east  and  west  was  called  somewhere  near  south.  I'his 
helps  to  explain  much  of  the  variance  in  the  direction  of  points 
II 


102 


KLONhYKE  FACTS. 


as  given  by  miners  and  others  who  have  no  compass  or  are 
una(:([uaintc(l  witli  the  use  of  one  and  the  application  of  the 
decHnation. 

On  my  arrival  at  Cudahy  I  rented  ivvo  cabins  from  the 
N.  A.  T.  &  T.  Co.,  to  house  my  men  and  self  as  I  would  be 
around  here  probably  until  I  started  up  the  river.  I  did  this 
because  there  are  no  convenien*^^  camping  places  in  the  vicinity, 
and  in  the  spring  al!  the  flats  are  like  lakes  along  the  river 
until  well  into  the  month  of  June. 

After  a  couple  of  days'  rest  for  th;  party,  who  had  worked 
very  hard,  and  after  I  had  developed  all  my  i)hotographs,  I 
began  to  attend  to  the  local  surveys,  first  surveying  the  coal 
claims  on  Coal  Creek  and  making  a  chain  traverse  survey  of 
the  creek  from  the  claims  down  to  the  \''ikon. 


I  next  made  a  survey  of  the  Cone  hill  quartz  mining  claim 
and  a  chain  traverse  survey  of  Forty  Mile  River  from  the  claim 
down  to  the  Yukon.  I  then  went  to  work  on  the  Forty  Mile 
town  site  and  Cudahy  town  site.  The  last  I  was  asked  to 
block  out,  which  I  have  done.  The  manager,  Mr.  C.  H.  Ham- 
ilton, objected  to  streets  66  feet  wide  on  such  a  small  plot  of 
ground  (diere  is  only  about  50  acres).  I  read  him  my  in- 
structions and  wrote  him  an  ofificial  letter  on  the  subject,  but 
he  insisted  on  streets  only  50  feet  wide  and  assumed  all  res- 
ponsibility, so  I  did  as  he  desired.  I  made  him  a  plot  of  the 
work  done  on  the  ground,  and  he  understands  that  he  will  have 
to  pay  the  dejiartment  for  the  scnicc  rendered  in  blocking  as 
well  as  the  original  survey,  and  wishes  a  plan  of  it,  which  of 
course  can  only  be  jjrepared  when  I  go  out. 

I  made  a  complete  survey  of  Forty  Mile,  locating  and  tak- 
ing the  dimensions  of  every  house  in  it,  and  it  is  the  worst 


KL  ON  I)  VK  K  FA  CTS. 


163 


jimiblc  I  ever  saw.  I  hiul  to  do  this  thoii^fli  it  'iitailcd  ;i  great 
(leal  of  work,  for  there  were  so  many  claim  holders,  and  there 
appeared  to  be  a  general  distrust  in  the  vicinity;  every  man 
wants  himself  on  record  in  evidence  as  to  in;  claim.  I  have 
taken  some,  but  I  have  several  days'  work  yei.  I  made  a  sur- 
vey of  the  island  for  the  Anglican  mission,  and  of  another 
island  for  a  man  named  (libson,  This  ,  in  the  delta  of  I'orty 
^li'c  Creek,  and  he  intends  to  make  a  market  garden  for  the 
growth  of  such  vegetables  as  the  country  will  ])roducc.  In  my 
final  report  I  will  deal  as  fully  as  my  ojierience  here  will  per 
inlt  on  that  phase  of  the  country's  character.  Many  here  have 
small  gardens  and  are  fairly  successful  with  ordinary  vegetables. 
I  have  advised  many  to  corresjjond  with  the  exi)erimental  farm 
at  Ottawa,  with  a  view  to  learning  the  best  sort  of  vegetables 
for  growth  in  this  climate.  There  is  an  application  in,  and  the 
purchase  money  and  cost  of  survey  i)aid,  for  80  acres  just  west 
of  Cudahy  town  site,  which  I  will  survey  in  a  few  days.  There 
is  also  an  application  in  for  40  acres  containing  a  hay  swamp 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  about  2  miles  below  here,  which 
I  will  survey  before  starting  out.  There  are  many  other  appli- 
cations in,  but  I  shall  not  have  time  to  attend  to  them,  nor 
have  the  parties  asked  for  a  survey.  I  think  these  ai)plications 
are  simply  intended  to  hold  the  ground  until  the  future  of  this 
region  is  forecasted ;  it  certainly  looks  promising  now.  I 
would  respectfully  call  the  attention  of  tlie  department  to  the 
fact  that  the  services  of  a  surveyor  are  urgently  needed  in  here 
and  will  be  for  some  years  to  come,  and  I  would  suggest  that 
one  be  appointed  to  look  after  and  take  charge  of  all  the  land 
interests  in  this  district.  He  will  find  plenty  to  do,  and  any 
work  outside  of  departmental  which  he  might  be  asked  to  do 
(and  there  is  much  of  it,  and  will  be  more  in  the  way  of 
engineering)  would  help  materially  to  pay  his  salary  which 
would  of  course  in  here  have  to  be  liberal. 


164 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


I  have  had  several  apphcations  for  engineering  surveys,  and 
I  have  told  the  parties  I  can  only  make  these  as  an  officer  of 
the  department,  with  whom  they  will  have  to  settle  on  the 
basis  of  the  time  it  took  and  the  cost  per  day  of  the  party  and 
myself,  should  I  undertake  any  of  it,  which  is  more  than  doubt- 
ful. Any  surveyor  so  appointed  will  require  experience  in  the 
taking  of  evidence  I'nd  will  need  to  be  patient  and  attentive, 
for  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  make  some  of  the  people  here 
understand  what  the\'  want  to  know. 

Another  inconvenience  is  the  want  of  a  trade  medium  ;  there 
is  very  little  coin,  nearly  all  l)usiness  being  transacted  in  gold 
dust,  which  passes  current  at  ti'j  per  ounce  troy*,  but,  as  most 
of  it  will  not  assay  that,  tliere  is  some  hardship  to  those  taking 
it  out,  though  there  may  be  no  actual  loss.  If  enough  money  were 
sent  in  to  pay  the  North-west  mounted  police  for  some  time  it 
would  help  for  a  period  at  least,  antl  would  emphasize  the  exist- 
ence of  Canada.  What  coin  and  bills  are  here  are  largely 
American. 

Another  important  question  is  the  treatment  of  the  liquor 
business,  which  cannot  be  ignored  much  longer ;  there  are 
several  saloons  in  Forty  Mile  and  one  in  Cudahy,  yet  there  is 
no  law  recognizing  them  nor  regulating  them  in  any  way.  Jt 
would  be  almost  impossible  and  very  unpopular  were  any  at- 
tcn»pt  made  to  close  them.  Liquor  could  not  be  kepf  out  of 
the  country  if  the  whole  North-west  mounted  police  were  scat- 
tered around  the  river. 

Another  subject  which  1  have  mentioned  Ijefore  is  that  of  the 

*  The  net  value  of  the  gold  received  by  the  department  was  found  to 
be  only  #16.50  per  ounce,  9  cents  of  which  were  silver.  Deducting  freight, 
insurance,  mint  charges  and  bank  commission  the  amount  realized  is  re- 
duced to  5iS77-  Inspector  Constantine,  \.  \V.  M.  P.  quotes  assays  by 
the  United  States  office  at  Helena,  Mont.,  of  gold  from  eight  creeks, 
ranging  from  $14.46  for  the  l'))per  Lgwes  to  $17.^3  for  Davis  Creek. 
The  average  is  $16.12. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


165 


timber.  Large  quantities  of  timber  are  being  and  have  been 
cut  in  our  territory  and  floated  down  the  river  to  American 
territory,  where  it  is  used,  and  Canada  derives  no  benefit. 
Were  it  used  to  develop  our  country  it  would  matter  less ;  in 
fact,  I  would  encourage  such  use ;  but  to  see  the  best  of  our 
timber  taken  out  without  any  sort  of  benefit  to  the  country  is, 
I  think,  worthy  of  some  sort  of  attention.  'J'here  is  very  little 
useful  timber  in  the  country,  and  much  of  what  does  exist  is  cut 
into  fuel,  while  more  of  it  goes  beyond  the  boundary.  In  the 
near  future  we  shall  feel  the  want  of  it.  I  have  spoken  to  the 
agent  about  it,  but  he  has  no  authority  to  act,  and,  if  he  had> 
is  disinclined  to  run  up  and  down  the  river  looking  after  it  un- 
less he  has  a  steamer. 

The  merchants  here  who  pay  duty  are  naturally  dissatisfied 
at  the  snmggling  done  on  the  upper  river  and  ask  for  some  sort 
of  protection.  It  might  be  advisable  to  have  a  squad  of  police 
and  an  officer  somewhere  on  the  lake  to  look  after  that.  I  am 
thoroughly  convinced  that  a  road  from  the  coast  to  some  point 
on  the  head  waters  of  the  river,  preferably  by  the  Taku  if  at 
all  practicable,  would  convert  all  our  part  of  the  river  into  a 
hive  of  industry.  It  may  be  said  there  is  no  competition,  and 
any  way  in  the  present  conditions  of  trade  things  cannot  be 
sold  very  much  cheaj^er  at  a  fair  ])rofit.  Once  let  a  railroad 
get  from  some  point  on  the  coast  to  some  point  on  the  river  .;o 
that  we  can  have  quick,  cheap,  and  certain  entrance  and  exit, 
and  the  whole  Yukon  basin  will  be  worked.  At  present  the 
long  haul  makes  the  expense  of  mining  machinery  practically 
prohibitive,  for  the  cost  of  transport  is  of'^  i  more  than  the 
first  cost  of  the  machine. 

Assays  of  the  Cone  hill  quartz  are  very  satisfactory,  and  the 
quantity  good  for  generations  of  work  ;  were  it  on  the  coast 
the  Treadwell  mine  would  be  diminutive  beside  it.  Five  tons 
of  rock  are  bemg  sent  out  from  it  for  a  mill  test,  and  should 


1  ?'■ 


166 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


ihey  prove  as  satisfactory  as  the  test  of  a  ton  sent  out  last  year, 
I  understand  the  parties  owning  it  will  proceed  to  develop  it. 
If  it  starts  and  proves  reasonably  successful  there  are  scores  of 
other  places  in  the  country  that  may  yield  as  well.  An  expert 
here  who  prospects  for  the  N.  A.  'J\  tS:  T.  Co.  found  a  ledge  last 
spring  on  the  Chandindu  River  of  Schwatka  (known  as  Twelve- 
mile  Creek  here)  and  located  two  full  claims  on  it.  He  told 
me  the  assay  he  made  of  my  specimens  oi  it  was  much  more 
satisfactory  than  that  of  Cone  hill,  and  this  ledge,  he  claims,  is 
where  a  commencement  should  be  made  in  (piartz  milling  in 
this  country  and  there  would  be  no  fear  of  the  result.  He  ap- 
pears to  be  pretty  well  versed  in  mining  lore,  is  a  i)ractical  as- 
sayer — that  is  his  profession — and  he  says  he  never  saw  or  read 
of  anything  like  it  for  extent  in  the  world.  He  informed  me 
there  were  extensive  deposits  of  coal  about  20  miles  up  the 
creek  and  this  ledge  was  about  4  miles  up.  He  has  no  doubt 
but  that  the  copper  around  Fort  Reliance  will,  with  better 
facilities,  yet  be  a  valuable  feature  of  the  country.  He  showed 
me  a  lump  of  native  copper  some  Indians  said  they  found  on 
the  head  of  the  White  River  but  could  not  or  would  not  specify 
where.  Speaking  of  White  River  reminds  me  that  it  and  Sixty 
Mile  are  very  close  together  in  the  vicinity  of  the  boundary.  I 
was  told  it  was  only  a  short  walk  from  the  creeks  of  one  to  the 
creeks  of  the  other,  but  how  far  from  stream  to  stream  is  un- 
certain. 

This  expert  is  an  American  who  has  spent  many  years  of  his 
life  in  the  best  mining  districts  in  the  United  States,  and  li: 
assures  me  this  country  promises  better  than  any  he  ever  sa./ 
before,  and  as  an  evidence  of  his  satisfaction  with  it  he  is  going 
to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  here. 

Great  anxiety  is  felt  here  about  a  mail  route  and  regular  mail. 
Last  winter  3  mails  left  the  coast,  one  by  the  Taku  route,  one 
by  the  White  Pass,  and  one  via  Taiya ;  the  first  two  got  here 


KL ONT)  TKK  FA  CTS. 


167 


in  good  time,  the  last,  (ours  by  the  way)  did  not,  nor  is  it 
likely  to  arrive  for  some  time — maybe  never.  The  man  in 
charge  was  badly  frozen  on  the  summit  and  had  to  turn  back 
leaving  the  mail  behind  him  and  it  is  now  probably  buried  in 
fathoms  of  snow.  An  Indian  brought  the  mail  in  by  the  Taku 
and  took  the  Slocan  branch  of  it  to  Atlin  lake.  From  what 
I  learned  of  this  route  while  up  there  it  may  be  found  to  afford 
un  easier  way  than  by  Teslin  Lake  but  it  has  the  disadvantage 
of  landing  on  the  head  of  the  Lewes  instead  of  the  Hootalinqua 
or  Teslin  and  so  takes  in  the  canyon  and  White  Horse  Rapids. 

Last  winter  many  of  the  residents  and  miners  here  talked  to 
me  about  the  mails  and  what  the  government  intended  in  that 
direction ;  of  course  I  could  tell  them  nothing.  They  made 
their  views  known  by  getting  U|'  a  petition  to  the  Minister  of 
the  Interior. 

The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  are  putting  a  new  and 
powerful  steamer  on  the  river,  which  will  make  four,  the  "  Arc- 
tic," "Alice,"  and  "  Emma,  large,  and  the  **  Bedon,"  small, 
there  is  some  talk  of  the  N.  A.  T.  &  T.  Co.,  putting  on  a  sister 
boat  to  the  "  Portus  B.  Weare."     All  are  stern-wheel  boats.* 

From  my  camera  stations  on  the  boundary  I  saw  many  high 
mountains,  some  of  them  not  less  than  8,000  feet,  aad  some  I 
believe  10,000.  Some  of  the  prominent  ones  I  have  named 
after  the  pioneers  of  the  country,  notably  one  Mount  Campbell 
after  the  late  Mr.  Robert  Campbell  of  the  H.  B.  Co.,  who  es- 
tablished Fort  Selkirk.  It  is  about  60  miles  due  east  of  here 
and  is  a  noteworthy  peak  in  that  it  stands  on  top  of  an  exten- 
sive well  defined  range,  rising  like  a  lofty  pillar  about  1,000 
feet  above  the  ridge.  It  is,  far  as  seen,  the  most  remarkable 
peak  in  the  country.     I  have  not  made  any  computations  yet, 

*  The  estimates  submitted  at  the  last  session  of  Parliament  contain 
an  item  of  #5,000  for  the  purchase  of  a  steamer  for  the  Mounted  Police 
in  the  Yukon  District. 


'  i  1 
i  11 


. 


168 


KLOXDYKK  FACTfl. 


but  T  do  not  think  its  summit  is  much  if  any  less  than  t  0,000 
feet  above  the  sea.  No  one  noticed  it  before  for  the  reason 
tiiat  it  is  only  about  600  feet  wide,  is  always  black,  and  very 
distant  from  points  where  it  can  be  seen  around  here. 


CuDAHY,  June  25  th,  1896. 

Horses  could  be  laid  down  here  for,  I  would  say,  about 
58250  per  head,  and  the  same  animals  ought  to  last  the  whole 
survey.  Horses  tiiat  have  been  in  use  here,  packing  to  the 
mines  in  the  summer  and  hauling  wood  in  the  winter  for  several 
years,  are  still  serviceable,  notwithstanding  that  they  live  only 
on  the  coarse  grasses  of  the  country.  They  pack  200  pounds 
apiece  from  Porty  Miles  River  at  the  mouth  of  Moore  Creek  to 
the  mines  on  Miller  Creek  (about  17  1-2  or  18  miles)  and 
climb  some  very  steep  long  hills  on  the  way,  taking  2  days  with 
loads  and  one  day  without ;  all  they  get  to  eat  is  what  they 
find. 


My  lar.t  report  told  you  of  the  agent  here  going  to  Miller  and 
Glacier  Creeks  and  collecting  fees  and  making  entries ;  as  he 
did  not  go  west  of  those  creeks  no  complications  will  arise,  for 
as  you  will  see  by  my  sketch  map  they  are  within  Canada.  I 
may  say  here  that  one  claim  on  Miller  Creek  turned  out  about 
$70,000  last  winter,  and  several  others  have  done  very  well  too. 
So  far  nearly  all  the  miners  have  passcfl  here,  going  to  Circle 
City  (about  200  miles  down)  and  I  have  no  doubt  many  of 
them  will  keep  on  going. 

About  100  miners  are    reported  on  the    Hootalinqua  this 


i 


KT.nyjtYKE  FACTfi. 


109 


summer.     We  shall  i)ro])al)ly  soon  have  to  extend  law   qnd 
order  there. 

Many  here  make  gardens,  using  any  seed  they  can  get, 
and  some  are  going  to  try  grasses  for  fodder.  1  would  sug- 
gest the  director  of  the  central  ex])erimental  farm  be  asked  to 
send  in  seeds  of  the  kinds  of  ordinary  vegetables  and  grasses 
best  suited  to  such  a  climate  as  this,  to  be  distributed  by  the 
agent  here  to  those  who  will  make  a  proper  use  of  them,  or 
for  sale  at  cost.  1  am  (juite  sure  it  would  be  of  much  service, 
and  if  some  hints  on  the  proper  care  of  plants  were  sent  in  it 
would  be  more  so,  as  most  of  the  people  in  here  know  prac- 
tically nothing  of  gardening  or  farming.  Besides,  it  would 
improve  the  feeling  among  the  people  here  towards  our  coun- 
try and  institutions  and  would  cost  the  country  practically 
nothing. 


CuDAHV,  August  i8th,  1896. 

It  is  now  certain  that  coal  extends  along  the  valley  of  the 
Yukon  from  Coal  Creek  for  10  or  12  miles  down,  and  from 
Coal  Creek  up  to  Twelve  Mile  Creek,  which  flows  into  the 
Yukon  about  30  miles  iiho\e  here.  The  latter  stretch  is  cut 
off  from  the  river  by  several  miles  of  hills,  as  it  is  about  6 
miles  direct  from  the  river  at  Coal  Creek  and  about  18  on 
Twelve  Mile  Creek.  This  is  the  stream  named  Chandindu  by 
Schwatka.  There  is  a  seam  on  it  about  6  feet  thick  as  re- 
ported by  an  expert  who  went  in  search  of  it.  I  found  drift 
coal  on  the  south  branch  of  Coal  Creek. 

On  the  Cornell  claim  on  Cliff  Creek  the  seam  is  5  feet  4 
inches  thick.  1  have  sent  specimens  of  it  out.  I  found  it 
necessary  to  refer  to  the  different  creeks  so  had  to  name  them 


170 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


"  Shell  Creek,"  because  I  found  a  stone  with  a  shell  impres- 
sion at  its  mouth;  "Cliff  Creek,"  because  it  enters  the  river 
at  the  foot  of  a  high  cliff;  and  "  Flat  Creek,"  because  it  enters 
the  river  in  a  large  flat. 

Glacier  Greek  is  turning  out  very  well,  and  several  good 
creeks  have  been  discovered  up  Forty  Mile  in  Alaska. 

CuDAHY,  6th  September,  1896. 

I  have  been  in  hourly  expectation  of  the  Canadian  mail  for 
some  days  now,  but  it  has  not  arrived  yet.  The  A.  C.  Co.'s 
Steamer  "Alice"  came  up  on  the  fourth  instant,  but  brought 
no  news  for  me,  so  that  I  am  completely  in  the  dark  as  to  my 
movements  yet,  and  if  I  am  to  go  out  it  is  time  I  was  on  the 
way.  I  do  not  wish  to  remain  here  another  winter  unless  it  is 
absolutely  necessary ;  more  especially  with  my  party  and  all 
its  expenses.  In  case  I  go  out,  I  will  try  to  accompany  Mr. 
J.  Dalton  over  his  trail  from  the  head  of  Chilkat  Inlet  to 
Selkirk  on  the  Yukon.  He  has  made  several  trips  over  that 
route  with  horses  and  paclcs  and  speaks  very  highly  of  it.  I 
will  make  a  rough  sur\'ey  of  it  and  take  some  photographs 
along  the  route. 

I  have  taken  copious  notes  of  it  from  him,  but  would  like 
to  see  it  for  myself. 

I  am  very  much  pleased  to  be  able  to  inform  you  that  a 
most  important  discovery  of  gold  has  been  made  on  a  creek 
called  Bonanza  Creek,  an  affluent  of  the  river  known  here  as 
the  Klondyke.*  It  is  marked  on  the  maps  extant  as  Deer 
River  and  joins  the  Yukon  a  few  miles  above  the  site  of  Fort 
Reliance. 

The  discovery  was  made  by  G.  W.  Cormack,  who  worked 


*  The  correct  name  is  Thron  Diuck. 


KLOXDYKE  FACTS. 


171 


with  me  in  1887  on  the  coast  range.  The  indications  are  that 
it  is  very  rich,  indeed  the  richest  yet  found,  and  as  far  as  work 
has  been  carried  on  it  realizes  expectations.  It  is  only  two 
weeks  since  it  was  known,  and  "already  about  200  claims  have 
been  staked  on  it  anfl  the  creek  is  not  yet  exhausted  :  it  and 
its  branches  are  considered  good  for  300  to  400  claims.  Be- 
sides there  are  two  other  creeks  above  it  which  it  is  confi- 
dently expected  will  yield  good  pay,  and  if  they  do  so  we  have 
from  800  to  1 ,000  claims  on  this  river  which  will  require  over 
2,000  men  for  their  proper  working.  Between  Thron-Diuck 
River  and  Stewart  River  a  '^.rge  creek  called  Indian  Creek 
flows  into  the  Yukon  and  rich  prospects  have  been  found  on 
it,  and  no  doubt  it  is  in  the  gold-bearing  country  between 
Thron-Diuck  and  Stewart  Rivcis,  which  is  considered  by  all 
the  old  miners  the  best  and  most  extensive  gold  country  yet 
found.  Scores  of  them  would  prospect  it  but  for  the  fact  that 
they  cannot  get  provisions  up  there  and  it  is  too  far  to  boat 
them  up  from  here  in  small  boats. 

.  This  new  find  will  necessitate  an  ujiward  step  on  the  Yukon, 
and  help  the  Stewart  River  region. 

News  has  just  arrived  from  Bonanza  Creek  that  three  men 
worked  out  $75  in  four  hours  the  other  day,  and  a  $12  nugget 
has  been  found,  which  assures  the  character  of  the  ground, 
namely,  coarse  gold  and  ])lenty  of  it,  as  three  times  this  can 
be  done  with  sluice  boxes.  You  can  fancy  the  excitement 
here.  It  is  claimed  that  from  $100  to  $500  per  day  can  be 
made  off  the  ground  that  has  been  prospected  so  far.  As  we 
have  about'  100  claims  on  (ilacier  and  Miller  Creeks,  with 
three  or  four  hundred  in  this  vicinity,  next  year  it  is  impera- 
tive that  a  man  be  sent  in  here  to  look  after  these  claims  and 
all  land  matters,  and  it  is  almost  imperative  that  the  agent  be  a 
surveyor.  Already  on  Bonanza  Creek  they  are  disputing 
about  the  size  of  claims. 


172 


KL ONT)  YKE  FA  C'TS. 


In  I 


1  would  have  gone  up  and  laid  out  the  claims  properly,  but 
it  would  take  nie  ten  or  twelve  days  to  do  so,  ami  meantime 
my  presence  might  be  more  urgently  required  elsewhere. 

Another  important  matter  is  the  appointment  oi  some  sort 
of  legal  machinery  here.  IJefore  the  jwlice  came  lers'  meet- 
ing administered  justice,  collected  debts,  etc.,  t'  ;  now  the 
magistrates  here  are  ex])ected  to  do  all  that,  and  when  it 
is  found  that  they  do  not  it  causes  much  dissatisfaction,  and 
there  are  several  cases  of  real  hardship  where  i)arties  will  not 
pay  their  just  debts  though  able  to  do  so.  If  a  miners'  meet- 
ing were  held  and  judgment  given  against  the  delincpient  it 
would  do  no  good  for  he  woukl  and  does  resist  payment,  .Mid 
were  force  resorted  to  he  would  ajipeal  to  the  police  for  j^rotec- 
tion.  A  continuation  of  this  state  of  affairs  is  most  undesirable 
in  the  interest  of  our  country,  for  we  have  a  reputation  as  a 
justice-administering,  law-abiding  people  to  maintain,  and 
I  would  urgently  press  this  matter  on  the  authorities. 

From  the  indic;ations  I  have  mentioned  it  would  be  seen 
that  this  corner  of  the  North-west  is  not  going  to  be  the  least 
important  part  of  it,  more  especially  \vlien  we  consider  the  fact 
that  gold-bearing  quartz  has  l)een  found  in  it  at  numerous 
places  and  much  will  no  dou])t  be  worked.  It  is  a])parent 
that  the  revenue  and  business  of  tire  country  will  more  than 
offset  the  expense  of  administration. 

1  cannot  here  enter  into  the  reasons  for  it,  but  1  unhesitat- 
ingly inake  the  assertion  that  this  corner  of  our  territory  from 
the  coast  strip  down  and  from  the  141st  meridian  eastward 
will  be  found  to  be  a  fairly  rich  and  very  extensive  mining 
region. 

As  I  have  already  i^retty  fully  reported  on  coal,  I  will  only 
add  that  it  is  reported  in  abundance  only  8  miles  up  the 
Chandindu  River,  where  a  seam  over  6  feet  thick  has  been 
found  of  the  same  quality  as  that  already  described. 


KLOynVKIC  FAf  TS. 


■  173 


CuDAHY,  November  6th,  1896. 

Your  official  letter  informing  me  that  negotiations  for  a 
joint  survey  of  the  141st  meridian  had  so  far  failed,  and  that  1 
had  better  return  to  Ottawa  for  the  winter,  r'^ached  me  here  on 
the  irth  of  September.  As  the  Alaska  Commercial  Com- 
[tany's  steamer  "Arctic"  was  then  hourly  expected  up  the 
river  on  her  way  to  Selkirk,  1  thought  it  best  to  wait  and  go  up 
on  her  to  that  point.  Day  after  day  passed  without  any  sign 
of  her ;  wearied  of  waiting,  and  hopeless  of  her  arrival  at  all 
this  year,  I  determined  to  start  out  on  the  27  th  of  September, 
a  late  date  but  with  fair  conditions  feasible.  On  the  25th  a 
tremendous  storm  of  snow  set  in  which  so  chilled  the  river 
that  in  a  few  days  after  it  was  choked  with  ice  which  precluded 
all  idea  of  getting  up  the  river,  and  it  was  equally  hopeless 
down  the  river. 

Three  parties  have  announced  their  intention  of  starting  for 
the  outside  world  about  the  ist  prox.,  and  I  write  this  con- 
templating its  transmission  by  one  or  other  of  these  parties. 
For  myself  to  think  of  going  out  in  the  winter  is,  I  think,  un- 
wise, for  the  following  reasons: — Dogs,  the  only  means  of 
transport,  are  scarce  and  dear,  ranging  from  $,:;o  or  :^40  to 
$125  apiece.  Dog  food,  like  all  other  food,  is  scarce,  by 
reason  of  the  poor  salmon  run  in  the  river  last  season — j^rao 
tically  none  were  caught  near  here — and  the  result  is  the  dog 
owners  here  have  to  use  bacon  for  food,  which  at  25  to  40  cts. 
per  pound,  is  expensive. 

I  would  require  a  team  of  eight  dogs  to  take  my  outfit  and 
my  man  Fawcett  with  our  ]:)rovisions  and  the  dogs'  food  as  far 
as  Taiya.  There  the  dogs  would  have  to  be  abandoned  or 
killed,  as  they  are  worthless  on  the  coast,  except  to  parties 
coming  in  here  early  in  the  season.  Starting  from  here  say 
December  ist,  it  would  be  February  before  I  reached  Ottawa, 


174 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


Ill     I 


and  (luring  35  or  40  days  of  this  time  we  would  be  exposed  to 
nnuh  cold  and  hardship  and  some  hazard  from  storms. 

The  journey  has  been  made,  and  I  would  not  hesitate  to 
undertake  it  were  things  more  reasonable  here  and  dog  food 
plentiful,  but  it  would  take  at  least  Si, 000  to  equip  me  with 
transport  and  outfit,  wliich  sum,  I  think,  I  can  expend  more 
in  the  interests  of  the  country  by  remaining  here  and  making 
a  survey  of  the  Klondak  of  the  miners — a  mispronunciation  of 
the  Indian  word  or  words  "Thron-dak"  or"diuck,"  which 
means  plenty  of  fish,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  famous  salmon 
stream.  It  is  marked  Tondak  on  our  maps.  It  joins  the 
Yukon  from  the  east,  a  few  miles  above  the  site  of  Fort  Re- 
liance, about  50  miles  above  here.  As  I  have  already  in- 
timated, rich  placer  mines  of  gold  were  discovered  on  the 
branches  of  this  stream.  The  discovery,  I  believe,  was  due  to 
the  reports  of  Indians.  A  white  man  named  George  W.  Cor- 
mack,  who  worked  with  me  in  1887,  was  the  first  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  rumors  and  locate  a  claim  on  the  first  branch, 
which  was  named  by  the  miners  Bonanza  Creek.  Cormack 
located  late  in  August,  but  had  to  cut  some  logs  for  the  mill 
here  to  get  a  few  pounds  of  provisions  to  enable  him  to  begin 
work  on  his  claim.  The  fishing  at  Thron-Diuck  having  totally 
failed  him,  he  returned  with  a  few  weeks'  provisions  for  him- 
self, his  wife  and  brother-in-law  (Indians)  and  another  Indian 
in  the  last  days  of  August,  and  immediately  set  about  working 
his  claim.  As  he  was  very  short  of  appliances  he  could  only 
l)ut  together  a  rather  defective  apparatus  to  wash  the  gravel 
with.  The  gravel  itself  he  had  to  carry  in  a  box  on  his  back 
from  30  to  100  feet  ;  notwithstanding  this,  the  three  men 
working  very  irregularly,  washed  out  $1,200  in  eight  days,  and 
Cormack  asserts  with  reason  that  had  he  had  proper  facilities 
it  could  have  beau  done  in  two  days,  besides  having  several 


KLONDVKE  FACTS. 


175 


posed  to 

3. 

;sitate  to 
iog  food 
me  with 
nd  more 
i  making 
iation  of 
,"  which 
IS  sahiaon 
joins   the 
Fort  Re- 
ready   in- 
:l  on   the 
as  due  to 
2  W.  Cor- 
)  take  ad- 
it branch, 
Cormack 
r  the  mill 

to  begin 
ing  totally 

for  him- 
ler  Indian 
it  working 
;ould  only 
the  gravel 

his  back 
hree    men 

days,  and 
r  facilities 
ng  several 


hundred  dollars  more  gold  which  was  lost  in  llic  tailings 
through  defective  apparatus. 

On  the  same  creek  two  men  rocked  out  $t5  in  about  four 
hours,  and  it  is  asserted  that  two  men  in  the  same  ( reck  took 
out  $4,ooo  in  two  days  with  only  two  lengths  t)f  sluice  boxes. 
'I'his  last  is  doubted,  but  Mr.  Ladue  assures  mc  he  weighed 
that  much  gold  for  them,  but  is  not  ])ositive  where  they  got  it. 
They  were  new  comers  and  iuul  not  (!  ue  nuich  in  the  country, 
so  the  probabilities  are  they  got  it  on  bonanza  C'rcek.  A 
branch  of  Bonanza  named  Eldorado  has  prosj)ected  magni- 
ficently, and  another  branch  nameil  'j'illy  C!reek  has  ])ros])cctc(l 
well  ;  in  all  there  are  some  four  or  five  branches  to  I'.onaii/a 
which  have  given  good  i)rospects.  There  are  about  i  70  ( laims 
staked  on  the  main  creek,  and  the  branches  are  good  for  about 
as  many  more,  aggregating  say  350  claims,  which  will  rc(|uire 
over  1,000  men  to  work  properly. 

A  few  miles  farther  up  Bear  Creek  enters  Thron-Diuck,  and 
it  has  been  prospected  and  located  on.  Compai .  .  witli 
Bonanza  it  is  small,  and  will  not  afford  more  than  20  or  30 
claims,  it  is  said.  About  12  miles  above  the  mouth  (iold- 
bottom  Creek  joins  Thron-Diuck,  and  on  it  and  a  bianch 
named  Hunker  Creek  (after  the  discoverer)  very  rich  ground 
has  been  found.  One  man  showed  me  ^22.75  he  took  out  in 
a  few  hours  on  Hunker  Creek  with  a  gold  pan,  prospecting  his 
claim  on  the  surface,  taking  a  handful  here  and  there  as  fancy 
suggested.  On  Gold-bottom  Creek  and  branches  there  will 
probably  be  200  or  300  claims.  The  Indians  have  reported 
another  creek  much  farther  u]),  which  they  call  "  Too  much 
gold  creek,"  on  which  the  gold  is  so  plentiful  that,  as  the 
miners  say  in  joke,  "you  have  to  mix  gravel  with  it  to 
sluice    it." 

From  all  this  we  may,  I  think,  infer  that  we  have  here  a  dis- 
trict which  will  give  1,000  claims  of  500  feet  in  length  each. 


170 


KUh\l>YI\K  FACTS, 


Now,  i.ouo  such  claims  will  re(|uire  at  least  3,000  men  to 
work  them  properly,  and  as  wages  for  working  in  the  mines  are 
from  12  to  15  dollars  jjcr  day  without  l);)ard,  we  have  every 
reason  to  assume  that  this  part  of  our  territory  will  in  a  year  or 
two  contain  10,000  souls  at  least,  l-'or  the  news  has  gone  out 
to  the  (oast  and  an  unprecedented  inllux  is  expected  next 
spring.*  And  this  is  not  all,  for  a  large  c  reck  called  Indian 
Creek  joins  the  Yukon  about  mitlway  between 'I'hron-Diuck 
and  Stewart  Rivers,  and  all  along  this  creek  good  jiay  has  been 
found.  All  that  has  stood  in  the  way  of  working  it  heretofore 
has  been  the  scarcity  of  provisions  and  the  dii'ficulty  of  getting 
them  up  there  even  when  here.  Indian  Creek  is  tpiite  a  large 
stream  and  it  is  probable  it  will  yield  five  or  six  hundred  claims. 
Further  south  yet  lies  the  head  of  several  branches  of  Stewart 
River  on  which  some  ]Mos])e<  ting  has  been  done  this  simimer 
and  good  indications  found,  but  the  want  of  ])rovisions  pre- 
vented development.  Now  gold  has  been  found  in  several  of 
the  streams  joining  Pelly  River,  and  also  all  along  the  Hoota- 
linqua.  In  the  line  of  these  finds  farther  south  is  the  Cassiar 
gold  held  in  IJritish  C'oluuibia  ;  so  the  presumption  is  that  we 
have  in  our  territory  along  the  easterly  water-shed  of  the  Yukon 
a  gold-bearing  belt  of  indefinite  width,  and  upwards  of  300 
miles  long,  exclusive  ol  the  IJritish  Columbia  part  of  it.  On 
the  westerly  side  of  the  \'ukon  i>r<)s|)ecting  has  been  done  on  a 
creek  a  short  distance  above  Selkirk  with  a  fair  amount  of  suc- 
cess, and  on  a  large  creek  some  30  or  40  miles  below  Selkirk 
fair  prospects  have  been  found  ;  but,  as  before  remarked,  the 


*  A  feature  of  this  year's  immigration  is  that  it  includes  many  women 
and  children.  The  correspDudent  of  a  western  paper,  writing  from  the 
Chilkoot  pass  at  tlie  i)eginning  nf  last  numth,  says  :"  To  go  along  the 
trail,  one  would  think  the  pcnpk'  weieli(j>nul  for  a  farming  country, 
there  are  horses,  ploughs,  wheell.>arruws,  tiiree  mowing  machines,  coops 
of  chickens,  etc." 


KLOSDYKK  FACTS. 


177 


lien  to 
ines  are 
e  every 
year  or 
one  out 
j(l  next 
,  Indian 
ii-l)iuck 
las  been 
retofore 
i  getting 
;  a  large 
I  rlaims. 
■  Stewart 
smmiier 
ions  pre- 
2veral  of 
;  Hoota- 
:  Cassiar 
;  that  we 
le  Yukon 
of  300 
it.     On 
one  on  a 
It  of  suc- 
V  Selkirk 
rked,  the 

11  y  women 

from  the 

along  the 

r  country, 

nes,  coops 


diftictilty  of  getting  supplies  here  prevents  any  extensive  or 
extended  pro.ipci  ting. 

Dalton  inlornied  nie  he  iiail  foinid  good  prospects  (/n  a 
small  creek  nearly  midway  between  the  ccasl  range  and  Selkirk 
in  his  route.  His  man  showed  me  some  ( o.-irse  gold,  about  a 
dollar's  worth,  he  found  011  the  head  of  a  braui  h  c  f  the  Allsek 
River  near  the  head  of  Chilkat  Inlet,  whi(  h  is  insi  le  the  sum- 
mit of  the  coast  range  and  of  course  in  our  territory.  l*Vom 
this  you  will  gather  that  we  have  a  very  large  area  all  more  or 
less  gold-bearing  and  which  will  all  yet  be  worked. 

'"lood  ([uartz  has  been  foiuid  in  places  ju;.t  across  the  line  on 
I  ).ivis  Creek,  but  of  what  extent  is  unknown  as  it  is  in  the  bed 
of  the  creek  and  covered  with  gravel.  ( lood  cpiartz  is  also  re- 
ported on  the  hills  around  llonanza  (reek,  hut  of  this  I  will  be 
able  to  si)eak  more  fully  after  my  pri)posed  survey.  It  is 
pretty  certain  from  information  I  have  got  from  ])r()spectors 
that  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  northerly  braiK  h  of  White  River 
is  on  our  side  of  the  line,  ami  co])per  is  toimd  on  it,  but  more 
abundantly  on  the  southerly  branch  of  wliic  h  a  great  i)ortion  is 
in  our  territory  also,  so  it  is  probable  we  have  that  metal  too. 
I  have  seen  here  several  lumps  of  copper  brought  by  the  natives 
from  White  River,  but  just  from  vvhat  i)art  is  uncertain.  I  have 
also  seen  a  sj)*.*  imen  of  siher  ore  said  to  have  been  pickc<l  up 
in  a  creek  llowiiig  into  Lake  l>ennet,  al»o\it  i.|  miles  down  it, 
on  the  east  side. 

I  think  this  is  enough  to  show  that  we  may  look  forward 
with  confidence  to  a  fairly  bright  future  for  this  i)art  of  our 
territory. 

When  it  was  fairly  established  that  Bonanza  Creek  was  rich 

in  gold,  which  took  a  few  days,   for  Thron-Diuck  hati  been 

prospected  several  times  with  no  encouraging  result,  there  was 

a  great  rush  from  all  over  the  country  adjacent  to  Forty  Mile. 

The    town  was   almost   deserted  ;  men    who   had  been  in    a 
12  . 


u 


' 


178 


KLONJ)  YKK  FACTS. 


chronic  state  of  drunkenness  for  weeks  were  ])it(;hc(l  into  boats 
as  ballast  and  taken  i\\)  to  stake  themselves  a  claim,  and  ckiims 
were  staked  by  men  for  their  friends  who  were  not  in  tlie 
( ountry  at  tlie  time.  All  this  gave  rise  to  sucli  conflict  and 
confusion,  there  being  no  one  present  to  take  charge  of  matters, 
the  agent  being  unable  to  go  u])  and  attend  to  the  thing;  and 
myself  not  yet  knowing  wliat  to  do,  that  the  miners  held  a 
meeting,  and  appointetl  one  of  tlieinsei.es  to  measure  off  and 
stake  the  claims,  and  record  the  owners'  name,  in  connection 
therewith,  for  which  he  got  a  fee  of  $2,  it  being  of  course 
tuiderstood  that  each  claim  holder  would  liave  to  record  his 
claim  with  the  Dominion  agent  and  pay  his  fee  of  $15. 

At  the  same  meeting  they  discussed  our  law  on  mining,  and 
discovered,  as  they  thought,  that  it  was  very  defective.  They 
appointed  a  committee  to  wait  on  the  agent  and  ask  him  to 
ratify  their  course  in  appointing  the  surveyor  and  recorder  to 
act  />r<?  tern  on  the  creek  and  to  forward  their  views  on  the  hiw 
to  the  department  at  Ottawa.  Now,  it  ai)pears  to  me  that  a 
good  deal  of  fault  of  the  law  as  they  found  it  lay  in  the  fact 
that  they  did  not  read  it  all  in  its  proper  connection  ;  and  be- 
cause the  printed  law  did  not  start  out  from  a  given  i)oint  and 
detail  consecutively  just  what  was  to  be  done  under  every  pos- 
sible contingency  that  might  arise  under  that  heading  they 
tliought  it  defective.  I  believe  this  to  be  the  case  because  I 
have  never  had  any  difficulty  in  explaining  any  case  that  has 
been  submitted  to  me  for  an  opinion,  and  there  have  been  a 
good  many. 

The  miners  as  a  rule  are  dissatisfied  with  the  claims  laid  out 
for  them  by  their  own  surveyor  appointed  as  I  have  already 
intimated,  and  many  of  them  are  claiming  for  a  remeasurement 
now  that  they  know  that  I  am  going  to  make  a  survey  of  the 
creeks.     In  fact  many  of  them  thought  that  a  survey  of  the 


KLONDYKE  TRACTS. 


179 


creeks  necessarily  meant  a  survey  and  adjustment  of  the  claims, 
and  it  took  me  some  time  to  correct  that  impression.  I  made 
them  understand  that  as  the  claims  had  been  laid  out  by  their 
own  act  and  had  been  approved  of  by  the  agent  I  could  not 
interfere  without  the  consent  and  approval  of  all  the  original 
parties  to  the  act,  and  they  would  Live  to  meet  and  discuss  the 
question  and  determine  whether  they  would  have  them  ad- 
justed or  not.  If  they  decide  to  have  it  done  I  made  them 
understand  they  would  have  to  assist  me  at  work  as  I  passed 
along.  If  they  do  not  recjuire  it  I  will  take  the  necessary  steps 
to  enable  me  to  plot  very  closely  where  every  claim  is.  I  may 
make  a  good  deal  of  the  survey  by  photography  as  I  have  about 
ten  dozen  good  plates  yet.  In  any  case  I  will  occupy  several 
photo  stations  to  enable  me  to  give  some  idea  of  the  mountain 
ranges  around — if  any — and  supplement  my  views  from  the 
boundary  last  winter.  As  soon  as  this  work  is  done  all  my 
men  will  take  their  discharge,  Adam  P'awcett  going  into  the 
service  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  and  all  the  rest 
mining. 

If  you  want  any  further  sur\'eys  made  in  here  men  will  have 
to  be  sent  in  to  do  it,  for  men  cannot  b'^  had  here  for  less  than 
from  $5  to  |lio  per  day.  Any  man  sent  in  for  survey  purposes 
will  require  to  bring  a  good  canoe  with  him,  say  1 9  feet  long 
and  44  inches  wide,  and  18  to  20  deep.  Such  a  canoe  will 
bring  in  5  or  6  men  and  their  stock  of  provisions  for  the  trip. 
By  the  time  they  would  arrive  here  provisions  will  be  plentiful, 
for  the  boats  will  then  be  up  from  Circle  City  where  two  of 
them  are  probably  wintering.  A  party  crossing  the  summit 
early  in  June  would  just  about  find  the  lakes  open  for  the  run 
down.  You  might  warn  any  such  party  that  they  had  better 
run  no  risk  at  the  Canon,  White  Horse  and  Five  Fingers.  The 
Canon  is  not  dangerous,  but  there  is  a  good  portage  past  it. 
The  rapids  between  it  and  the  White  Horse  are  roug'i  in  high 


1: 


180 


KLONDFKE  FACTS. 


water  but  with  care  are  safe.  A  great  many  large  boats  run 
the  White  Horse,  but  most  of  them  take  more  or  less  water ; 
many  fill  altogether,  and  the  owners  are  oftsn  drowned;  in 
any  case  they  lose  all  their  effects  if  they  do  escape.  A  care- 
ful estimate  of  those  drowned  in  1895  places  the  number  at 
13,  a  large  percentage,  I  think  of  those  who  tried  it.  The 
Five  Fingers  are  at  some  stages  of  the  water  uncertain.  Last 
time  I  came  down  I  found  it  very  nice  on  the  left  side — no 
danger  at  all,  while  boats  passing  the  right  side  took  in  water. 
In  every  case  the  party  in  charge  will  do  well  to  carefully  examine 
beforehand  all  the  points  named.  Should  you  deem  it  advis- 
able for  myself  to  return  early  in  the  summer,  I  will  have  to 
make  my  way  around  by  the  mouth,  as  I  will  have  no  men  to 
help  me  up  stream,  and  no  one  wil^  3e  ascending  the  river  un- 
til near  September,  and  indeed  very  few  do  at  all  now.  Any 
party  coming  in  svould  reasonably  be  expected  in  before  I 
started  down,  and  I  could  confer  with  them  on  the  work  to  be 
done  should  you  deem  it  advisable  to  do  so. 

In  the  course  of  a  year  I  believe  coal  will  supersede  wood 
for  fuel,  which  will  relieve  the  demand  as  far  as  the  towns  and 
villages  are  concerned ;  but  mining  interests  will  require  a  lot 
of  fuel  where  coal  cannot  be  taken.  .  , 

The  trafKic  in  liquor  will  have  to  be  taken  hold  of  and  reg- 
ulated at  once  ;  it  is  here  now  and  cannot  be  kept  out  by  any 
reasonably  practical  means.  The  majority — the  great  majority 
of  miners — will  have  it,  and  all  the  more  will  their  predilection 
be  if  it  is  attempted  to  stop  the  entry  of  it. 

In  my  opinion  it  is  imperative  that  this  business  be  brought 
under  control  at  once,  or  it  may  develop  phases  that  will  be  at 
least  annoying  in  the  near  future. 

I  have  in  previous  reports  intimated  that  some  sort  of  legal 
machinery  is  now  absolutely  necessary  for  the  trial  of  cases  of 
contract,  collection  of  debts  and  generally  the  judicial  interests 


)oats  run 

;s  water ; 

med ;  in 

A  care- 

imber  at 

it.      The 

n.     Last 

side — no 

in  water. 

examine 

it  advis- 

have  to 

o  men  to 

river  un- 

)w.     Any 

before  I 

ark  to  be 

de  wood 
owns  and 
lire  a  lot 

and  reg- 
it by  any 
t  majority 
sdilection 

5  l)rought 
will  be  at 


n 

H 

n 

OB* 

o 

n 

tc 
R 


W 

o 


of  legal 
f  cases  of 
1  interests 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


181 


of  the  country.  There  are  several  cases  of  hardship  now  for 
the  want  of  a  proper  court. 

If  some  sort  of  court  to  satisfy  the  necessities  of  the  people 
in  business  here  is  not  at  once  established  serious  inconven- 
ience will  result.  The  officer  appointed  will  require  to  be  a 
hale  vigorous  person,  for  it  is  probable  he  will  have  to  make 
journeys  of  considerable  length  across  unoccupied  country,  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duty. 

There  have  been  several  applications  for  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Thron-Diuck,  and  Inspector  Constantino 
has  selected  a  reserve  for  government  purposes  at  the  conflu- 
ence of  that  stream  with  the  Yukon  40  acres  in  extent. 

A  court  or  off  ,e  of  record  in  real  estate  transactions  will 
require  to  be  opened  here  at  once.  A  recorder  was  appointed 
in  Forty  Mile  and  a  plot  made  in  1884.  In  anticipation  of  my 
going  out  this  fall  I  got  a  meeting  held  of  the  property  owners 
and  had  them  hand  the  records  over  to  me  for  the  information 
of  the  department.  They  are  in  my  possession  yet,  and  I  will 
take  them  out  with  me  when  I  go.  They  are  rather  crude  in 
form  and  require  an  initiate  to  understand  them.  I  act  as 
recorder/;-^  /cm. 


Before  closing  I  may  say  that  every  report  that  comes  in 
from  Bonanza  Creek  is  more  encouraging  than  the  last.  Pros- 
pecting has  only  begun,  and  up  to  date  of  mailing,  November 
2  2d,  very  rich  prospects  have  been  found  on  the  few  claims 
prospected  on  :  from  one  dollar  to  the  pan  of  dirt  up  to  twelve 
dollars  are  reported  and  no  bed  rock  found  yet.  This  means 
from  $1,000  to  $12,000  per  day  per  man  sluicing. 

The  excitement  is  intense  but  at  this  season  of  the  year  it  is 
naturally  very  local. 


182 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


I  expect  a  mail  will  be  starting  from  here  in  January  and  I 
will  try  and  send  out  a  short  report  by  it  embracing  events  up 
to  date. 

■  Cz/^/c/Zy,  9th  December,  1896. 

A  mail  left  here  for  the  outside  on  the  27th  ultimo  by  which 
I  sent  you  an  interim  report,  which  will  probably  reach  you  in 
January.  From  it  you  will  learn  how  I  came  to  be  caught  in 
the  country  and  why  I  have  not  attempted  to  get  out  in  the 
winter.  As  you  arc  as  likely  to  get  that  report  as  you  are  this 
one,  I  refrain  from  repeating  more  here  than  to  say  that  should 
it  be  necessary  for  me  to  go  out  before  summer  I  will  try 
and  get  out  by  dog  team,  starting  in  the  last  of  February  or 
early  in  March  when  the  days  are  long  and  the  weather  mild, 
getiing  out  say  early  in  May. 

Since  my  last  the  prospects  on  Bonanza  Creek  and  tribu- 
taries are  increasing  in  richness  and  extent  until  now  it  is  cer- 
tain that  millions  will  be  taken  out  of  the  district  in  the  next 
few  years. 

On  some  of  the  claims  prospected  the  pay  dirt  is  of  great 
extent  and  very  rich.  One  man  told  me  yesterday  that  he 
washed  out  a  single  pan  of  dirt  on  one  of  the  claims  on  Bon- 
anza and  found  ^14.25  in  it.  Of  course  that  may  be  an  ex- 
ceptionally rich  pan,  but  $5  to  ,^7  per  pin  is  the  average  on 
that  claim  it  is  reported,  with  5  feet  of  pay  dirt  and  the  width 
yet  undetermined,  but  it  is  known  to  be  30  feet  even  at  that : 
figure  the  result  at  9  to  10  pans  to  the  cubic  foot,  and  500  feet 
long;  nearly  ;f>4,ooo,ooo  at  J^5  per  ])an — one-fourth  of  this 
would  be  enormous. 

Another  claim  has  been  prosi)ected  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
is  known  there  is  about  5  feet  pay  dirt  averaging  $2  per  pan 
and  width  not  less  than  30  feet.      Enough  prospecting   has 


f 


KLONBYEE  FACTS. 


183 


ary  and  I 
events  up 


•,  1896. 

»  by  which 
,ch  you  in 

caught  in 
3ut  in  the 
)u  are  this 
:hat  should 

I  will  try 
'ebruary  or 
ather  mild, 

and  tribu- 
w  it  is  cer- 
n  the  next 

is  of  great 
lay  that  he 
is  on  Bon- 
be  an  ex- 
average  on 
the  width 
en  at  that: 
nd  500  feet 
irth   of   this 

xtent  that  it 
$2  per  pan 
pecting   has 


been  done  to  show  that  there  are  at  least  15  miles  of  this 
extraordinary  richness ;  and  the  indications  are  that  we  will 
have  3  or  4  times  that  extent,  if  not  all  equal  to  the  above  at 
least  very  rich. 

I  think  the  department  should  get  large  posters  printed  on 
which  shall  be  shown  the  sections  of  the  law  governing  the 
location  and  recording  of  (piartz  and  placer  mines,  the  ex- 
tent of  each,  the  duties  of  miners,  in  both  cases,  and  the  rul- 
ings of  the  department  on  the  questions  I  have  submitted,  with 
the  penalties  attached  to  offences  against  the  law.  Some  of 
these  should  be  printed  on  stout  paper  or  parchment  capable 
of  standing  exposure  to  the  weather,  and  posted  at  every  im- 
portant point  in  the  country  so  that  there  may  be  no  excuse 
hereafter  for  ignorance. 

A  large  number  of  copies  of  the  Mining  Act,  Land  Act,  and 
timber  and  hay  lands  regulations  should  also  be  sent  in. 

As  to  the  extent  of  mining  districts  they  should  I  think  be 
made  large,  and  section  2 1  amended  to  enable  a  man  who  has 
located  a  claim  which  does  not  ])ay  a  reasonable  return  on 
outlay  the  first  season  after  his  claim  has  been  prospected,  to 
make  a  second  location  in  the  same  locality  or  district  provided 
he  can  find  one  in  it.  The  agent  would  have  to  determine 
whether  or  not  he  had  expended  the  proper  amount  of  labor 
on  his  claim  to  get  reasonable  returns ;  this  I  know  opens  the 
door  for  a  lot  of  trouble  and  may  be  fraud,  but  on  the  other 
hand  a  great  many  worthy  men  suffer  from  the  want  of  some 
such  regulation,  and  as  very  few  would  be  in  a  position  to  take 
advantage  of  such  a  provision  until  after  their  second  season, 
there  would  hardly  be  anything  left  for  them  to  take.  Enter- 
prising industrious  men  who  would  work  almost  continuously 
might  get  some  benefit — probably  would — but  no  others,  so 
such  a  regulation  could  not  do  very  much  harm  and  might  help 
some  deserving  people.     As  it  is  now  men  stake  claims  on 


;*! 


184 


KLONBYKE  FACTS. 


nearly  every  new  find,  some  having  several  claims  in  the  Thron- 
Diuck  locality.  They  know,  I  believe,  that  they  will  not  be 
able  to  hold  them,  but  as  the  localities  are  not  yet  clearly  de- 
fined they  can  hold  on  to  them  for  a  while  and  finally  by  col- 
lusion with  others  acquire  an  interest  in  them. 

The  miners  here  are  I  understand  getting  up  a  petition  to 
the  Minister  asking  for  aid  in  opening  a  way  from  the  south 
and  building  along  it  shelter  for  winter  travellers,  with  suitable 
supplies  scattered  along. 

As  it  is  now  a  winter's  trip  out  from  here  is  on  account  of 
the  long  haul  and  want  of  shelter  tedious  and  hazardous,  and 
their  representations  are  worthy  of  consideration. 

The  following  letters  written  so  far  back  as  January  will  prove 
most  interesting. 

C It  daily,  nth  January,  1897. 


The  reports  from  the  Klondyke  region  are  still  very  encour- 
aging ;  so  much  so  that  all  the  other  creeks  around  are  practi- 
cally abandoned,  especially  those  on  the  head  of  Forty  Mile  in 
American  territory,  and  nearly  one  hundred  men  have  made 
thviir  way  up  from  Circle  City,  many  of  them  hauling  their  sleds 
themselves.  Those  who  cannot  get  claims  are  buying  in  on 
those  already  located.  Men  cannot  be  got  to  work  for  love  or 
money,  and  development  is  conseciuently  slow ;  one  and  a  half 
dollars  per  hour  is  the  wages  paid  the  few  men  who  have  to 
work  for  hire,  and  work  as  many  hours  as  they  like.  Some  of 
the  claims  are  so  rich  that  every  night  a  few  pans  of  dirt  suf- 
fices to  pay  the  hired  help  when  there  is  any :  as  high  as  ;J!204 
has  been  reported  to  a  single  pan,  but  this  is  not  generally 
credited.  Claim  owners  are  now  very  reticent  about  what 
they  get,  so  you  can  hardly  credit  anything  you  hear ;  but  one 
thing  is  certain  we  have  one  of  the  richest  mining  areas  ever 


KLOI^DYKE  FACTS. 


185 


found,  with  a  fair  prospect  that  we  have  not  yet  discovered  its 
limits. 

Miller  and  Glacier  Creeks  on  the  head  of  Sixty  Mile  River, 
which  my  suney  of  the  141st  meridian  determined  to  be  in 
Canada,  were  thought  to  be  very  rich,  but  they  are  poor  both 
in  quality  and  quantity  compared  with  Klondyke. 

Chicken  Creek  on  the  head  of  Forty  Mile,  in  Alaska,  dis- 
covered a  year  ago  and  rated  very  high,  is  to-day  practically 
abandoned. 


Some  quartz  prospecting  has  been  done  in  Klondyke 
region,  and  it  is  probable  that  some  good  veins  will  be  found 
there.  Coal  is  found  on  the  upper  part  of  Klondyke ;  so 
that  the  facilities  for  working  it  if  found  are  good  and  con- 
venient. 


C II daily,  23d  January,  1897. 

I  have  jus'  heard  from  a  reliable  source  that  the  quartz  men- 
tioned above  is  rich,  as  tested,  over  one  hundred  dollars  to  the 
ton.  The  lode  appears  to  run  from  3  to  8  feet  in  thickness 
and  is  about  19  miles  from  the  Yukon  River.  I  will  likely  be 
called  on  to  survey  it,  and  will  be  able  to  report  fully. 

Placer  prospects  continue  more  and  more  encouraging  and 
extraordinary.  It  is  beyond  doubt  that  3  pans  on  different 
claims  on  Eldorado  turned  out  $204,  $212,  and  $216  ;  but  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  were  only  three  such  pans, 
though  there  are  many  running  from  $10  to  $50. 


% 


186 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS. 


I  liave  been  repeatedly  asked  wliat  I  think  of  the  present 
rush  to  the  gold  regions,  and  I  liave  to  say  that  I  regret  it 
exceedingly.  For  this  season  of  the  year,  I  think  it  very 
bad  indeed,  and  that  there  will  bo  a  great  amount  of  hard- 
ship and  salTeriug.  I  do  not  recommend  any  one  to  at- 
tempt to  make  the  tri[)  until  Muri;h  I.j. 

There  is  unquestionably  room  for  a  great  many  people 
in  that  district,  but  already  too  nuuiy  have  left  for  the 
hard  winter  trip  that  must  be  taken  before  Dawson  City 
can  be  reached.  I  have  nuule  the  trip  nuiny  times  and 
know  whereof  I  speak,  and  shall  certainly  not  attempt  to 
return  till  after  ^larch  1st,  1898. 

Dawson  City  is  now  the  most  important  point  in  the  new 
mining  regions.  Its  population  in  June,  180T,  exceeded 
4,000  ;  by  June  next  it  cannot  be  less  than  25,000.  It  has 
a  saw-mill,  stores,  churches,  of  the  Pro.jbyterian,  Baptist, 
Methodist  and  IJoiuan  (*atholic  denominations.  It  is  the 
headquarters  of  the  Canadian  Xorthwcst  Mounted  Police, 
and po'fect  law  and  order  is  maintained. 

It  is  at  Dawson  that  the  prospector  files  hi3  claims  with 
the  fiovernment  Gold  Commissioner,  in  rl^e  recording 
offices. 

Dawson  faces  on  one  of  tiu^  banks  of  the  Yukon  Itiver, 
and  now  occupies  about  a  mile  of  the  bank.  It  is  at  the 
junction  of  the  Kloudyke  Creek  with  the  Yukon  IJiver. 
It  is  here  where  the  most  valuable  mining  claims  are  l)eing 
operated  on  a  scale  of  profit  that  the  world  has  hitherto 
never  known.  The  entire  country  surrounding  is  teeming 
Avith  mincnd  wealth. 

Copper,  silver  and  coid  can  be  found  in  largo  (puintities, 
but  little  or  no  attention  is  now  being  paid  to  these  valu- 
able minerals,  as  every  one  is  engaged  in  gold-hunting  and 
working  the  extraordinary  placer  mining  claims  already 
located.  '    - 


with 


C/) 

> 


m 


CD 


m 


m 


m 


C/) 


o 


1 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


187 


The  entire  section  is  given  up  to  plucer  mining.  Very 
few  claims  had  been  tiled  for  ((uartz  mining.  The  fiehls  of 
goUl  will  not  be  exhausted  in  the  near  future.  Xo  man  can 
tell  what  the  end  will  be.  From  January  to  April,  1897, 
about  $J:,000,000  were  taken  out  of  the  few  placer  claims 
then  beiTig  worked.  This  was  done  in  a  territory  not  ex- 
ceeding fortv  square  miles.  All  these  claims  are  located 
on  Klondyke  River  and  the  little  tributaries  emptying  into 
it,  and  the  districts  are  known  as  Big  Bonanza,  (rold 
Bottom  and  Hunker. 

I  have  asked  old  and  experienced  miners  at  Dawson, 
who  mined  through  California  in  Bonanza  days,  and  some 
who  mine!  m  Australia,  what  they  thought  of  the  Klon- 
dyke region,  and  their  reply  luis  invariably  been  :  ''  The 
world  never  saw  so  vast  and  rich  a  lind  of  gold  as  we  are 
working  now." 

Dawson  City  is  destined  to  bo  the  greatest  mining  centre 
in  the  history  of  mining  operations. 

The  entire  country  is  teeming  with  mineral  wealth. 
Copper,  silver,  as  well  as  coal,  can  be  found  in  large  quan- 
tities but  little  or  no  attention  is  being  paid  at  present  to 
these  minerals,  as  everybody's  mind  is  bent  on  getting  gold. 

When  mining  operations  commence  on  coal  it  will  be 
specially  valuable  for  steamers  on  the  various  rivers  and 
greatly  assist  transportation  facilities. 

In  the  next  few  years  there  will  certainly  be  recorded 
the  most  marvellous  discoveries  in  this  territory  usually 
thought  to  be  only  a  land  of  snow  and  ice  and  fit  only  to 
be  classed  with  the  Arctic  regions. 

It  is  marvellous  to  state  that  for  some  years  past  we 
have  been  finding  gold  in  occasional  jilaces  in  this  territory, 
but  from  the  poverty  of  the  people  no  eifort  was  made  to 
prospect  among  the  places  reported. 

It  is  my  belief  that  the  greatest  finds  of  gold  will  not  be 


188 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


made  in  this  territory.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  not  3  per 
cent,  of  all  the  gold  discovered  so  far  liio  b-^en  on  United 
States  soil. 

The  groat  mass  of  the  work  has  been  done  on  the  North- 
west territory  which  is  under  the  Canadian  Government. 

It  is  possible,  however,  that  further  discoveries  will  be 
made  on  American  soil,  but  it  is  my  opinion  that  the  most 
valuable  discoveries  will  be  further  east  and  south  of  the 
present  claims,  and  we  would  advise  prospectors  to  work 
east  and  south  of  Klondyko. 

From  the  very  cloar  map  shown  in  this  work  and  which 
takes  in  the  prrjsent  gold  regions,  it  will  be  seen  that 
Dawson  Ci.y  is  at  the  junction  of  the  Klondyke  Iliver, 
marked  on  the  map ''Thron-Diuck.''  ' 

The  mining  claims  commence  within  21  miles  from 
Dawson  City  on  the  Klondyke  and  follow  the  stream  on 
both  sides  to  "  Too  Mu(;li  Gold  Creek."  All  the  tributary 
streams  on  the  Klondyke  suth  as  "  Too  Much  Gold  Creek," 
Hu?;ker's  Creek,  Gold  Bottom,  Last  Chance,  and  Bear 
Creek,  Bould's  Bonanza,  and  Eldorado  arc  now  being 
worked  by  the  miners. 

The  richest  of  these  is  Eldorado,  Gold  Bottom,  Hunker 
and  "Too  Much  Gold  Creek."  All  of  them,  however,  are 
exceptionally  rich  for  placer  mining.  It  is  reported  that 
the  least  known  as  yet  of  those,  "  Too  Much  Gold  Creek" 
will  probably  be  the  most  valuable  in  the  region.  It  is  the 
most  distant  from  Dawson  Citv. 


THE  TOO-MUCH-GOLD  RIVER. 

Which  the  Indians  report  to  be  situated  beyond,  and  to  be  far  riclier  than  the 

Klondylie. 

Far  up  the  stern-precipiced  Klondyke, 

In  the  Arctic  drear,  we  are  told, 
There  speeds  a  mysterious  river, 

"The  River  of  Too  Much  Gold." 


;  3  per 
United 

Xorth- 
neiit. 
will  be 
10  most 
of  the 

0  work 

.  which 
m   that 

1  River, 

;s  from 
eam  on 
fibutary 
Creek," 
id  Bear 
,v   being 

Hunker 
ever,  are 
bed  that 
[  Creek  " 

It  is  the 


ELONDYKE  FACTS.  289 

O  say,  ye  powers  of  darkness! 

Did  the  Yukon  Indians  dream 
The  longing  they  roused  in  our  heart-cliords 

When  they  named  us  that  hidden  stream  ? 

There  once  was  an  El  Dorado 

Men  crazed  their  lives  to  behold ; 
But  what  was  the  merely  Golden 

To  the  River  of  Too  Much  Gold? 

O,  if  we  could  stand  on  its  border, 

And  after  our  sacks  were  distent, 
Kick  round  us  still  beaches  of  nuggets, 

Would  we  feel  we  could  then  be  content  ? 

Would  we  feel,  as  we  shouldered  our  million, — 

Pledge  of  pleasures  ten  thousand  fold, 
That  even  then  this  river 

Was  a  River  of  Too  Much  Gold  ? 

Or  when  will  the  heart  of  mortal 

Be  ready  to  cry  ' '  Enough  ! " 
And  what  is  the  use  o^  the  struggle 

For  the  "  stuff  "  if  it  does  not  stuff? 

But  however  it  be,  I  am  longing 

As  though  it  would  free  me  from  care, 
For  the  banks  of  that  Arctic  river, 

And  a  little  of  what  is  there. 

W.  D.  LiGHTHALL. 


n 


I 


1^1 


ler  than  the 


APPENDIX. 


EXCEEPTS   FROM  THE   MlNING    LAAVS   OF  THE  XOHTHWEST 

Tekkitoihes. 


DEFmiTION"   OF  TERMS   UHED   IX    MIXING. 


<( 


Mine,"  **iilacer  mine,"  and  "diggings"  shall  be  syn- 
onymous terms  and  shall  mean  any  natural  .stratum  or 
bed  of  earth,  gravel  or  eement  mined  for.  gold  or  other 
precious  minerals  : 

"  Placer  claim  "  shall  mei\n  the  personal  right  of  property 
ov  interest  in  any  placer  mine  ;  ami  in  the  term  ''  min- 
ing property "  shall  be  included  every  placer  claim, 
ditch,  or  water  right  used  for  placer  mining  purposes, 
and  all  other  things  belonging  thereto  or  used  in  the 
Avorking  thereof.  Placer  claims  shall  be  divided  into 
creek  diggings,  bar  diggings,  dry  diggings,  bench  dig- 
gings, and  hill  diggings  : 

"  Creek  diggings"  shall  mean  any  mine  in  the  bed  of  any 
river,  stream  or  ravine,  excejiting  bar  diggings  : 

"  Bar  diggings  "  shall  mean  any  mine  over  whi(!h  a  river 

extends  when  in  its  Hooded  state  : 

191 


192 


APPENDIX. 


P   4 


'*  Dry  diggings  "  shall  mean  any  mine  over  which  a  I'iver 
never  extends  : 

"  Bench  diggings^'  shall  mean  any  mine  on  a  bench,  and 
'\<11 ,  for  the  purpose  of  defining  the  size  jf  a  claim  in 
he  'iggings,  be  excepted  from  ''dry  diggings  :  " 

"  Hill  diggings'*  shall  mean  any  mine  on  the  surface  of  a 
hill,  and  fronting  on  any  natural  stream  or  ravine  : 

*' Streams  and  ravines"  shall  include  all  natural  water- 
courses, whether  usually  containing  water  or  not,  and 
all  rivers,  creeks  and  gulches  : 

"  Ditch  "  shall  include  a  flume,  pipe,  race,  or  other  arti- 
ficial means  for  conducting  water  by  its  own  weight, 
to  be  used  for  mining  purposes  : 

"Ditch  head"  shall  mean  the  point  in  a  natural  water- 
course or  lake  where  water  is  first  taken  into  a  ditch  : 

"  Free  miner "  shall  mean  a  person,  or  joint  stock 
company,  or  foreign  company  named  in,  and  lawfully 
possessed  of,  a  valid  existing  free  miner's  certificate, 
and  no  other : 

"  Legal  post "  shall  mean  a  stake  standing  not  less  than 
four  feet  above  the  ground,  and  squared  or  faced  on 
four  sides  for  at  least  one  foot  from  the  top,  and  each 
side  so  squared  or  faced  shall  measure  at  least  four 
inches  on  its  face  so  far  as  squared  or  faced,  or  any 
stump  or  tree  cut  off  and  squared  or  faced  to  the 
al)ovc  height  and  size  : 

"  Record,"  "  register,"  and  '*  registration,"  shall  have  the 
same  meaning,  and  shall  mean  an  entry  in  some  offi- 
cial book  kept  for  that  purpose  : 

*'  llecord,"  when  used  Avithout  qualifying  words  showing 


APPENDIX. 


193 


1  a  I'lver 

ich,  and 
claim  in 

tigs  :  " 

[ace  of  a 
vine  : 

I  water- 
not,  and 

[ler  arti- 
weight, 

ill  water- 
a  ditch  : 

it  stock 
lawfully 
rtificate, 

ess  than 
faced  on 
and  each 
L»ast  four 
d,  or  any 
1   to  the 

have  the 
jonie  offi- 

showing 


that  a  different  matter  is  referred  to,  shall  be  taken  to 
refer  to  the  record  of  the  location  of  a  placer  claim  : 

"  Full  interest "  shall  mean  any  placer  claim  of  the  full 
size,  or  one  of  several  shares  into  which  a  mine  may 
be  equally  divided  : 

**  Close  season  "  shall  mean  the  period  of  the  year  during 
which  placer  claims  m  any  district  are  laid  over  by  the 
Gold  Commissioner  of  that  district  : 

*'  Cause  "  shall  include  any  suit  or  action  : 

** Judgment  shall  include  "order''  or  "decree"  : 

** Ileal  estate"  si. all  mean  any  placer  mineral  land  held  in 
iCee  simple. 

MISCELLANEOUS  REGULATIONS. 

1.  Tlie  Minister  of  the  Interior  shall,  from  time  to  time, 
as  he  may  think  fit,  declare  the  boundaries  of  mineral  and 
mining  districts,  and  shall  cause  a  description  of  the  same 
to  be  published  in  the  Canada  Gazette. 

2.  The  Minister  of  tlie  Interior  may  direct  mineral  and 
luiuinti^  locations  to  bo  laid  out  within  sucli  districts  wher- 
ever, from  report  of  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey, 
or  from  other  information,  he  has  reason  to  believe  there 
are  mineral  deposits  of  economic  value,  and  may  sell  the 
same  to  api)licants  therefor,  who,  in  his  opinion,  are  able 
and  intend  in  good  faith  to  work  the  same  ;  or,  he  may 
from  time  to  time,  cause  the  said  locations  to  be  sold  by 
public  auction  or  tender.  8ucli  sales  shall  bo  for  cash, 
and  at  prices  in  no  case  lower  than  those  prescribed  for 
locations  sold  to  original  discoverers,  and  shall  otherwise 
be  subject  to  all  the  provisions  of  these  Regulations. 

13 


194 


APPENDIX. 


\i  ii- 


1% 


i 


3.  Tlie  ]\[iiiistcr  of  the  Interior  may  grant  to  any  person 
or  persons  avIio  have  a  mining  location  and  are  actively  de- 
veloping the  same,  an  additional  location  adjacent  to  and 
not  exceeding  it  in  area,  provided  the  person  or  persons 
holding  such  location  shall  show  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior  that  the  vein  or  lode  l)eing  devel- 
oped on  the  location  will  prohably  extend  outside  of  either 
of  the  vertical  lines  forming  the  side  boundaries  of  the 
location  before  it  has  reached  the  depth  at  which  it  can  be 
profitably  mined. 

4.  Persons  desirous  of  obtaining  quarries  fov  stone  on 
vacant  Dominion  Lands  jnay  do  so  under  these  Regulations  ; 
but  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  may  re([uire  the  jiayment 
of  a  royalty  not  exceeding  five  per  cent,  on  account  of  the 
sales  of  the  product  of  such  quarries,  or  the  land  may  be 
sold  not  subject  to  such  royalty  at  such  price  as  may  be 
determined. 

5.  licturns  shall  bo  made  by  tiie  grantee,  sworn  to  l)y 
him,  or  l)y  his  agent  or  other  em})loye  in  charge  of  the 
mine,  at  monthly  or  other  such  intervals  as  may  be  re- 
quired by  the  ^linister  of  the  Interior,  of  all  products  of 
his  mining  location  and  of  the  price  or  amount  he  received 
for  the  same. 

(i.  The  ^Minister  of  tlie  Interior  shall  have  the  power  to 
summarily  order  any  mining  works  to  be  so  carried  on  as 
not  to  interfere  witii  or  endanger  the  safety  of  the  public, 
any  public  work  or  highway,  or  any  mining  property, 
mineral  lands,  mining  claims,  bed-rock  drains  or  fiumes  ; 
♦  and  any  abandoned  works  may,  by  his  order,  bo  either 
filled  up  or  guarded  to  his  satisfaction,  at  the  cost  of  tlie 
parties  who  may  have  constructed  the  same,  or  in  their 
ubscucu  upon  such  terms  as  he  shall  think  fit. 


11 


APPENDIX. 


195 


luy  person 
ctively  tle- 
ent  to  and 
or  persons 
tion  of  the 
cing  (levcl- 
le  of  cither 
ivies  of  the 
?,h  it  can  he 


or  stone  on 
eguhitions ; 
ho  ptiymont 
>ount  of  the 
[and  may  l)e 
3  as  may  he 


;\vorn  to  hy 
arge  of  the 
may  he  re- 
products  of 
he  received 


lie  power  to 
arried  on  as 
f  tlic  puhlic, 
ig  property, 
s  or  Ihimes  ; 
r,  ho  either 
e  cost  of  the 
or  in  their 


7.  The  Superintendent  of  Mines,  acting  under  instruc- 
tions to  he  from  time  to  time  issued  hy  tlie  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  shall  cause  to  be  laid  out,  at  the  expense  of  the 
person  or  persons  applying  for  the  same,  a  space  of  ground 
for  deposits  of  leavings  and  deads  from  any  tunnel,  claim 
or  mining  ground. 

FORFEITURE. 

8.  In  the  event  of  the  breach  of  these  Regulations,  or 
any  of  them  hy  any  person  holding  a  grant  for  Quartz  or 
Placer  Mining  from  the  Crown  other  than  Crown  Patents, 
or  from  the  Minister  of  the  P.iterior,  or  from  any  duly 
authorized  officer  of  Dominion  Lands,  such  right  or  grant 
shall  be  absolutely  forfeited  ipao  facto,  and  the  person  so 
offending  shall  be  incapable  thereafter  of  acquiring  any 
such  right  or  grant,  unless  for  special  cause  it  is  otherwise 
decided  by  the  Minister  of  the  Interior. 


RIGHTS    A^TD    DUTIES   OF    MIXERS. 

1.  The  forms  of  application  for  a  grant  for  placer  min- 
ing, and  the  grant  of  the  same,  shall  be  those  contained  in 
forms  II  and  I. 

2.  The  entry  of  every  holder  of  a  grant  for  placer  mining 
must  be  renewed  and  his  receipt  relinquished  and  replaced 
every  year,  the  entry  fee  being  paid  each  time. 

3.  No  miner  shall  receive  a  grant  of  more  than  one  min- 
ing claim  in  the  same  locality,  l)ut  the  same  miner  may 
hold  any  number  of  claims  by  purchase,  and  any  number 
of  miners  may  unite  to  work  their  claims  in  common  upon 
such  terms  as  they  may  arrange,  provided  such  agreement 


^n 


U  ¥ 


w-i  n 


196 


APPENDIX. 


be  registered  with  the  Agent,  and  a  fee  paid  for  each  reg- 
istration. 

4.  Any  miner  or  miners  may  sell,  mortgage,  or  dispose 
of  his  or  their,  claims,  provided  such  disposal  be  registered 
with,  and  a  fee  of  two  dollars  paid  to  the  Agent  who  shall 
thereupon  give  the  assignee  a  certificate. 

5.  Every  miner  shall,  during  the  continuance  of  his 
grant,  have  the  exclusive  right  of  entry  upon  his  own 
claim,  for  the  miner-like  working  thereof,  and  the  con- 
struction of  a  residence  thereon,  and  shall  bo  entitled  ex- 
clusively to  all  the  proceeds  realized  therefrom  ;  but  he 
shall  have  no  surface  rights  therein  ;  and  the  Superinten- 
dent oi'  Mines  may  grant  to  the  holders  of  adjacent  claims 
such  right  of  entry  thereon  as  nuiy  be  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  working  of  their  claims,  upon  such  terms  as  may, 
to  him,  seem  reasonable. 

G.  Every  miner  shall  be  entitled  to  the  use  of  so  much 
of  the  water  naturally  flowing  through  or  past  his  claim, 
and  not  already  lawfully  appropriated,  as  shall,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Superintendent  of  Mines,  be  necessary  for 
the  due  working  thereof  ;  and  shall  be  entitled  to  drain  his 
own  claim  free  of  charge. 

7.  A  claim  shall  be  deemed  to  be  abandoned  and  open 
to  occupation  and  entry  by  any  person  when  the  same  shall 
have  remained  unworked  on  working  days  by  the  grantee 
thereof  for  the  space  of  seventy-two  hours,  unless  sickness 
or  other  reasonable  cause  be  shown,  or  uidess  the  grantee 
is  absent  on  leave. 

8.  A  claim  granted  under  these  Regulations  shall  be  con- 
tinuously, and  in  good  faith,  worked,  except  as  otherwise 


APPENDIX. 


197 


ach  reg- 


•  dispose 
L^gistcrcd 
vlio  shall 


:e  of  his 
his  own 
the  con- 
titled  ex- 
;  but  he 
perinten- 
nt  claims 
necessary 
is  as  may, 


provided,  by  the  grantee  thereof  or  by  some  person  on  his 
behalf. 

9.  In  tunnelling  under  hills,  on  the  frontage  of  wliich 
angles  occur,  or  which  may  bo  of  an  oblong  or  ellij)tical 
form,  no  party  shall  be  allowed  to  tunnel  from  any  of  the 
said  angles,  or  from  either  end  of  such  hills,  so  as  to  in- 
terfere with  parties  tunnelling  from  tlie  main  frontage. 

10.  Tunnels  and  shafts  shall  be  considered  as  belonging 
to  the  claim  for  the  use  of  whicli  they  are  constructed,  and 
as  abandoned  or  forfeited  by  the  abandonment  or  forfeiture 
of  the  claim  itself. 

11.  For  the  more  convenient  working  of  back  claims  on 
benches  or  slopes,  the  Superintendent  of  Mines  may  per- 
mit the  owners  thereof  to  drive  a  tunnel  througli  the  claims 
fronting  on  any  creek,  ravine,  or  water-course,  upon  such 
terms  as  he  may  deem  expedient. 


so  much 

his  claim, 

11,  in   the 

essary  for 

i  drain  his 


and  open 
same  shall 
he  grantee 
58  sickness 
ho  grantee 


lall  be  con- 
otherwise 


HEARING   AND    DECTSTO>f   OF    DISPUTES. 

1.  The  Superintendent  of  Mines  sliall  have  power  to 
hear  and  determine  all  disputes  in  regard  to  mining  prop- 
erty arising  within  his  district,  subject  to  appeal  by  either 
of  the  parties  to  the  Commissioner  of  Dominion  Lands. 

3.  No  particular  forms  of  procedure  shall  be  necessary, 
but  the  matter  complained  of  must  be  properly  expressed 
in  writing,  and  a  copy  of  the  complaint  sliall  be  served  on 
the  opposite  party  not  less  tlian  seven  days  before  the  hear- 
ing of  the  said  complaint. 

3.  The  complaint  may,  by  leave  of  the  Superintendent 
of  Mines,  be  amended  at  any  time  before  or  during  the 
proceedings. 


198 


APPENDIX. 


4.  TliG  compi.iinant  sluill,  id  tlio  time  of  filing  liig 
compluint,  deposit  therewith  ji  l)oiuI-foe,  wliich  slwill  bo 
returned  to  liini  if  the  comphiint  proves  to  have  been 
well  founded,  and  not  otherwise,  except  for  special  cause, 
by  direction  of  the  ALinister  of  the  Interior. 

5.  In  the  event  of  the  decision  of  tlio  Superintendent  of 
Mines  being  made  tlie  subject  of  an  appeal  to  the  Com- 
missioner of  Dominion  Lands,  the  appellant  shall,  at  the 
time  of  lodging  the  appeal,  deposit  with  the  Agent  a 
bond-fee,  which  shall  be  returned  to  the  said  appellant 
if  his  ai)peal  proves  to  have  been  well  founded,  and  not 
otherwise,  except  for  special  cause,  by  direction  of  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior. 

0.  IMie  appeal  must  be  in  writing  and  must  be  lodged 
with  the  Superintendent  of  Mines  not  more  than  three 
days  after  his  decision  has  been  communicated  in  writing 
to  all  the  parties  interested,  and  must  state  the  grounds 
upon  Avhich  the  said  decision  is  appealed  from. 

7.  If  the  Commissioner  of  Doininion  Lands  decides 
that  it  is  necessary  to  a  proper  decision  of  the  matter  in 
issue  to  have  an  investigation  on  the  ground,  or,  in  cases 
of  disputed  boundaries  or  measurements,  to  employ  a 
surveyor  to  measure  or  survey  the  land  in  question,  the 
expense  of  the  inspection  or  rc-mcasurement  or  re-survey, 
as  the  case  may  be,  shall  be  borne  by  the  litigants,  who 
shall  pay  into  the  hands  of  the  said  Commissioner,  in  equal 
parts,  such  sum  as  he  may  think  sufiicient  for  the  same, 
before  it  takes  place  ;  otherwise,  it  shall  not  proceed,  and 
the  party  who  refuses  to  pay  such  sum  shall  bo  adjudged 
in  default.  The  said  Commissioner  shall  subsequently 
decide  in  what  proportion  the  said  expense  should  bo  borno 
by  the  parties  respectively,  and  the  surplusage,  if  any, 
shall  then  be  returned  to  the  parties,  as  he  may  order. 


1 


AVPKyinx. 


199 


ling  liis 
shall  1)0 
vo  been 
al  c'uiise, 

ndent  of 
he  Com- 
1,  at  the 
Agent  a 
.ppellant 
and  not 
li  of  the 

e  lodged 

tin  three 

1  Avriting 

gronnds 

decides 
natter  in 

in  eases 
mploy  a 
ition,  the 
c-snrvey, 
mts,  who 

in  equal 
he  same, 
?eed,  and 
lid  judged 
5C([uently 
be  borne 
h  if  any, 
rder. 


8.  All  bond-foes  adjudged  as  i'oi'feited  and  all  payuuMits 
retaiiunl  uiuler  the  last  ])re('oding  secjtion,  shall,  as  soon  as 
decision  has  been  rendered,  and  all  entry  jiiul  other  fees  or 
moneys  shall,  as  soon  as  tlmy  have  been  received  by  him, 
be  paid  by  the  said  Agent  or  Commissioner  to  the  credit 
of  the  Receiver-General  in  the  same  maiine'"  as  other 
moneys  received  by  him  on  account  of  Dominion  Lands. 

ADMINISTIIATION. 

1.  In  case  of  the  death  of  any  miner  while  entered  as 
the  holder  of  any  ndning  claim,  the  provisions  as  to  aban- 
donment shall  not  a2)ply  either  during  his  last  illness  or 
after  his  decease. 

"Z.  The  Minister  of  the  Interior  shall  take  possession  of 
th.e  mining  property  of  the  deceased,  and  nuiy  cause  such 
mining  property  to  be  duly  Avorked,  oi-  dis})ense  therewith, 
at  his  option  ;  and  he  shall  sell  the  i)r()[)erty  by  private 
sale,  or,  after  ten  days'  notice  thereof,  l)y  j)ublic  auction, 
upon  such  terms  as  he  shall  deem  just,  aiul  out  of  the  pro- 
coeds  pay  all  costs  and  charges  iiu-urred  thereby,  and  pay 
the  balance,  if  any,  to  the  legal  representatives  of  the  said 
deceased  miner. 

3.  The  ]\[inister  of  the  Interior,  or  any  person  authorized 
bv  him,  shall  take  charge  of  all  the  property  of  deceased 
miners  until  the  issue  of  letters  of  administration. 


200 


APPENDIX. 


A  SHORT  ROUTE. 

J.  G.  C.  LEWIS  TELLS   OF  A  NEW    WAY  TO  REACH  THE 

GOLD   KEGIOX. 

Washington,  Aug.  3,  ISOI. 

There  is  a  short  and  easy  route  to  the  rich  gold  fields  of 
the  Klonayke,  according  to  a  communication  to  the  in- 
teri-or  department  from  J.  G.  C.  Lewis,  a  civil  engineer  of 
Salem,  Or.,  who  says  he  can  open  up,  at  small  expense,  a 
rout3  from  the  mouth  of  the  Copper  river,  by  which  the 
Klondyke  may  be  reached  by  a  jouriuw  of  not  much  more 
than  300  miles  from  the  coast. 

The  route  which  he  proposes  would  start  inland  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Copper  river,  near  the  Miles  glacier,  about 
25  miles  east  of  the  entrance  to  Prince  William  sound. 
He  declares  the  Copper  river  is  navigable  for  small  steamers 
for  many  miles  beyond  the  mouth  of  its  principal  eastern 
tributary,  called  on  the  latest  maps  the  Chillyna  river, 
which  is  itself  navigable  for  a  coi\sideral)le  distance. 

From  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Chillyna,  Mr.  Lewis 
says,  either  a  highway  or  a  railroad  could  be  constructed 
without  great  difficulty  or  very  heavy  grades  through  what 
the  natives  call  the  "low  pass,"  probably  the  Scoloi  pass. 
From  this  pass  the  road  would  follow  the  valley  of  the 
White  River  to  the  point  it  where  it  empties  into  the 
Yukon,  on  the  edge  of  the  Klondyke  gold  fields. 


1 


4PPENDIX. 


201 


Georgn  F.  Bookor.  in  an  unpublished  report  made  totlio 
geological  survey,  of  his  invest  i_i,'ut  ion  in  liSIlf)  of  theooastal 
gold  districts,  says  that  most  of  the  island  of  the  Alexamh  r 
Archipelago  (iontain  gold  deposits  yet  -un worked,  that 
would  probably  re})ay  very  handsomely  well-directed  efforts 
of  placer  nuning.  TliescMlei)()sits  are  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Sitka  and  generally  on  Haronelf  and  Admiralty  islaiuls 
and  the  beaches  of  the  adjacent  nuiinhmd. 

Another  fairly  promising  region  is  ii.  a  group  of  deposits 
on  the  Kenal  peninsula,  on  the  southeast  shore  of  Cook 
inlet,  and  the  Vakutat  bay  aiui  the  ])ea(!hes  of  Kadiak 
island.  These  regions  have  as  yet  been  explored  oidy  to  a 
limited  degree,  owing  to  the  unfavorable  physical  condition 
of  the  coast. 

Under  orders  issued  by  Acting  Secretary  of  "War,  Meikel- 
john.  Captain  1*.  11.  Ray  and  Lieuteiuint  IJichardson,  of 
the  Eighth  Infantry,  have  started  from  Fort  I).  A.  Russell, 
Wy.,  for  Alaska.  Tlu'ir  orders  are  to  g>>  as  f;ir  as  Circle 
City,  at  least,  and  make  us  much  of  an  investigation  as  the 
short  time  remaining  will  permit. 

The  following  circular  has  been  issued  by  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railway  : 


St.  Paul,  Minn.,  July  28,  1897. 


T 


To  General  and  District  Passenger  Agents  : 

I  append  herewith  copy  of  recent  letter  from  Mr.  I.  A. 
Nadeau,  our  general  agent  at  Seattle,  relative  to  the  re- 
cently discovered  Klondyke  region,  in  the  Yukon  district, 
Alaska.  This  letter  is  l)ased  u]ion  the  most  authentic  and 
reliable  information  now  obtainable  from  those  just  re- 


m 


202 


APPENDIX. 


\ 


,i  !l 


turned  froi.'.  this  wondorfui  couiury.  It  will  ho  of  interest 
i'.»  you  iind  those  inquiring  ahout  the  region. 

The  schedule  foUowiug  the  letter  showing  supplies  -nec- 
essary per  man — uiiless  otherwise  mentioned — is  based  up- 
on interviews  with  returned  miners  and  others  from  the 
Klondyke,  and  Avas  actually  so  used  by  a  party  from  beattle 
going  to  the  mines. 

There  are  two  established  roittes  into  the  Klondyke 
country.  One  is  via  the  ocean  to  St  Michael's,  thence  via 
river  steamer  up  the  Yukon  to  Dawson  City.  The  mouth 
of  the  Yukon  lliver  is  sixty  miles  from  St.  MichaeFs  ;  dis- 
tance from  St.  Michael's  to  Klondyke,  2000  miles.  Facil- 
ities on  the  Yukon  consist  of  tv\o  stern-wheel  steamers  be- 
longing to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Co.,  and  the  steamers 
P.  B.  AVeare,  J.  J.  Ilealy,  of  the  Xortli  American  Trans- 
portation &  Trading  Co.,  and  a  third  boat,  the  C.  II. 
Hamilton,  of  the  latter  company,  which  is  expected  to  be 
ready  in  a  couple  of  weeks.  T'he  Yukon  is  shallow  in 
places,  and  it  is  impracticable  to  operate  steamers  having  a 
draught  of  more  than  44^  feet. 

The  other  route,  and  the  one  which  will  be  principally 
travelled  is  from  Dyea,  over  the  trail,  via  Chilcoot  Pass, 
to  I  ake  Lindeman,  thence  through  the  chain  of  lakes 
which  you  will  see  on  Diiy  Alaska  map  into  the  Lewes 
River,  and  down  the  Yukoii  to  the  Klondyke.  The  route 
via  Dyea  is  by  steamer  from  Seattle  running  direct  to  Dyea, 
where  tliey  pack  over  Chilcoot  Pass  to  Lake  lindcrr.an,  at 
which  place  they  build  boats  usually  23  to  24  feet  long  and 
4^  to  5  feet  wide,  which  are  taken  through  the  lakes,  while 
the  provisions  have  to  be  packed  over  two  short  portages, 
one  1^  mile  and  one  aboMt  f  mile,  while  the  boat  is  taken 
through  the  small  streams.  The  distance  via  this  latter 
route  is  a  follows  : — 


(i 


\« 


intorcst 

ies  iiec- 
isecl  iip- 
roni  the 
I  Seattle 

londyke 
eiice  via 
B  mouth 
I's  ;  dis- 
Facil- 
mers  be- 
steamers 
I  Trans- 
e  C.  II. 
jed  to  be 
allow  in 
having  a 

incipally 
)ot  Pass, 
of  lakes 
le  Lewes 
'he  route 
,  toDyca, 
Icmun,  at 
long  and 
ces,  while 
portages, 
fc  is  taken 
liis  latter 


i 


\» 


; 


APPENDIX.  203' 

Miles.     ]Miles. 

Seattle  to  Juneau 809 

*  Juneau  to  Dyea ., <)(j 

•    Dyea  to  Lake  Lindeman .-^S 

Across  Lake  Lindeman d 

Portage,  Lindeman  to  Lake  Bennett.  ...       1:^ 
Across  Lake  Bennett  to  Caribou  Crossing    30 

Across  Tagish  Lake 19 

Six-Mile  Eiver  to  Mud.  Lake 6 

Across  Mud  Lake 30 

Fifty-Mile  River  from  Mud  Lake  to  Lake 

LeBarge 50 

Across  Lake  LeBarge HI 

Thirty-Mile  River  to  Ilootalinqua  Kiver..     30 
Down  Hootalinqua  and  Lewes  Rivers  to 

Fort  Selkirk 18? 

Fort  Selkirk  down  the  Yukon  to  Dawson 

City 195 

Total  distance  from  Dyea  to   Dawson 

City G03i 


15981 


Over  the  Chilcoot  Pass,  the  higlest  elevation  of  whicli 
is  said  to  be  2, GOO  feet,  the  trail  in  places  is  very  steep, 
and  outfits  have  to  be  packed  over  by  men  for  a  distance  of 
eight  miles,  for  the  remainder  of  tlie  distance  pack  trains 
are  used.  There  are  only  two  dangerous  rapids  encoun- 
tered on  this  route,  and  they  are  at  White  Horse  Rapids, 
between  Mud  Lake  and  Lake  LeBarge,  and  at  Five  Fine-ers 
on  the  Lewes  River,  about  eighty  miles  south  < .  its  con- 

*  If  steamers,  however,  go  direct  to  Dyea  this  distance  would 
be  shortened  perhaps  20  miles. 


204 


APPENDIX. 


fluence  with  the  Pelly.  So  far  as  I  can  learn  no  serious 
casualties  have  ooourred  at  these  places.  A  few  prospec- 
tors by  unskilful  management  have  lost  their  outtits,  but 
Seattle  parties  who  went  in  last  spring  state  that  with  ordi- 
nary care  there  is  no  difficulty.  For  packing  freight 
across  from  Dyea  to  Lake  Lindeman  it  cost,  if  liired,  from 
184-  to  20  cents  per  pound.  Some  parties  at  Seattle  yester- 
day contracted  to  have  15,000  pounds  jiacked  across  at  a 
rate  of  18^  cents  per  pound. 

On  the  Cleveland,  which  is  to  sail  August  5th — accom- 
modations all  taken — the  rate  announced  is  $200  for  all 
classes,  but  on  September  10  the  steamer  Portland  will 
sail  from  Seattle  for  St.  MichaeFs,  fare  $100,  including 
meals  and  berth. 

The  Klondyke  is  a  stieam,  about  140  miles  in  length, 
running  in  a  generally  -yv^esterly  direction  and  the  gold 
bearing  creeks  where  the  richest  finds  have  been  made, 
run  into  the  Klondyke  from  a  generally  southerly  direc- 
tion. Two  and  one  half  miles  of  the  Klondyke  from  its 
confluence  with  the  Yukon,  is  Bonanza  Creek  which  has 
several  small  tributaries.  Twelve  miles  from  where  the 
Bonanza  enters  into  the  Klondyke,  running  approxi- 
mately parallel  with  the  Yukon  is  Eldorado  Creek  which  is 
12  to  15  miles  in  length.  About  four  miles  further  up  Bo- 
nanza Creek  is  Gold  Bottom  Creek.  About  se  en  miles 
further  up  is  Adams  Creek  and  then  jome  several  small 
streams  which  bear  local  names.  Bonanza  Creek  is  vari- 
ously estimated  at  from  24  to  80  miles  in  length.  Twelve 
miles  up  the  Klondyke  is  Bear  Creek,  whiv?halso  has  a  few 
small  tributaries.  About  twelve  miles  further  up  Klondyke 
is  Hunker  Creek,  and  about  the  same  distance  from  there 
up  the  Klondyke,  is  Too  Much  Gold  Creek.  The  whole 
delta  of  these  creeks  is  where  the  richest  finds  have  been 
made  and  principally  on  the  Bonanza  and  Eldorado,  develop- 


APPENDIX. 


205 


meiit  on  the  other  creeks  not  being  so  far  advanced  although 
rich  strikes  are  reported  on  all  of  them.  About  50  miles 
south  on  the  Yukon  from  Klondyke  is  Indian  River  which 
runs  in  a  more  south-westerly  direction.  Running  out  of 
Indian  Creek  is  Quartz  Creek,  a  well  explored  creek,  about 
50  miles  from  the  confluence  of  Indian  Creek  and  Yukon 
River.  About  six  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Quartz  Creek, 
extending  in  a  northerly  direction  to  the  range  of  hills 
which  separate  the  delta  of  the  Indian  Creek  from  that  of 
the  Klondyke  isFirst  Left  Hand  Fork.  About  eight  miles 
further  up  Quartz  Creek,  running  in  the  same  direction  is 
Kettleson  Fork.  From  the  opposite  side  and  running  in 
the  opposite  direction  out  of  Quartz  Creek,  about  five  or 
six  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Quartz  Creek,  is  Phil  Creek. 
These  latter  from  latest  reports  nm  boing  extensively  pros- 
pected and  good  finds  being  mu 


* 
* 

* 

* 


* 
* 
* 

* 

* 

* 
* 
* 

* 


An.  r  ni  f^larifiriitr  Nowinits62d  thousand.  By  WM. 
O  V  Ul  ClCWinCiiy.  H.  MKADOWCROFT.  I  volume, 
lamo,  cloth,  50  cents  Fully  illustrated. 
This  excellent  primary  book  has  taken  the  first  place  in  ele- 
mentary scientific  works.  It  has  received  the  endorsement  of 
Thomas  A  Edison.  It  is  for  every  person  desiring  a  knowledije  of 
electricity,  and  is  written  in  the  simplest  style  so  that  a  child  can 
understand  the  work.  It  is  what  its  title  iud.cates,  the  first  flight 
of  steps  in  electricity. 

Scholars'  A  B  C  of  Electricity.  E^o^c1io?T  ^gn^e 

volume,  i2mo,  illustrated,  cloth,  50  cents. 
The  author  of  this  work  has  designed  it  for  the  use  of  teach- 
ers and  scholars.     A  large  number  of  simple  experiments  have 
been  added,  with  notes  relative  to  the  work.     It  is  the  primary 
book  for  school  use. 

A  Most  Important  Work  of  General  Interest. 

Th/«  Y  Dflv  •  or.  Photography  of  the  Invisible  and  Its  Value 
llie  I\.  IVOJ'  )    In  Surgery      By  WILLIAM  J.  MORTON,  M. 

D.     Written  in  collaboration  with  Edwin  W.  Hammer. 

I  volume,  i2mo,  cloth  and  silver,  75  cents;  paper,  50  cents. 
Everyone  has  been  waiting  for  this  work  to  give  full  infor 
mation  of  Professor  Rontgen's  marvellous  discovery  The  work 
explains  in  clear  and  simple  style  how  these  extraordinary  pictures 
are  taken  through  solids.  Full  description  is  given  of  the  appar- 
atus used,  and  the  text  is  profusely  illustrated  with  halftone  illus- 
trations giving  fac-simile  copies  of  the  pictures  takea  from  the 
negatives  of  the  author.    The  subjects  are  varied. 

The    ARC  nf  fhp   V   Rnv    ^v  wm.  h.  meadow- 
Hw    A  D  C  OI    me    A    Kay.    croft,    i  volume,  i2mo. 
cloth  and  gold,  75  cloth  ;  paper,  50  cents. 

The  first  primary  work  on  the  subject.  A  book  for  the  people. 
The  author  of  "  A  B  C  of  Electricity."  showed  clearly  iii  that  work 
his  ability  to  explain  a  technical  subject  for  the  laymen  who  know 
nothing  of  scientific  terras.  He  has  written  this  work  about  the  X 
Ray  in  his  usual  clear  and  simple  style,  and  a  wide  circulation  of 
this  useful  book  is  assured.  The  texts  of  the  author  is  beautifully 
embellished  with  fine  engravings,  and  nothing  is  omitted  that  will 
give  the  public  a  clear  knowledge  of  this  remarkable  discovery  of 
Prof.  Ronfgen.  The  public  would  do  well  to  secure  both  of  these 
important  works. 

The  Art  of  Cooking  by  Gas.    l\^^^''^T,^:S^, 

i2mo,  paper,  50  ceuts ;  cloth,  75  cents. 

A  timely  work  by  a  recognized  authority.  This  new  book 
shows  the  economy,  cleanliness  and  comfort  of  cooking  by  gas 
There  are  nearly  looo  recipes  which  are  excellent.  This  valuable 
work  will  save  its  price  many  times  to  all  hou     keepers. 

A  ny  of  the  above  books  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 

BY  THK    PUBLISHERS 


* 
* 

* 
* 

* 

* 
* 

* 

* 
* 
* 

% 


*         AMERICAN  TECHNICAL  BOOK  CO.        * 
T  45  VESEY  STREET,  NEW  YORK.  T 


T 


* 

* 
* 

* 


* 
* 

* 

* 
* 

* 
4 

* 

* 


